<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Conversations by waddled</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710860">Conversations</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddled/pseuds/waddled'>waddled</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>305 and Beyond [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - College/University, Crack, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Fluff and Smut, Gen, Pairings tagged have at least one chapter dedicated solely to them, Smut, occasional emotions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 11:01:03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>83,659</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24710860</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/waddled/pseuds/waddled</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A <strike>small</strike> collection of scenes that were either cut from the main story of my fic <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24225004/chapters/58364719">Apartment 305</a> for length/pacing, written as ways to work through writer's block or just fun little things I thought might give a little more insight into the characters within this universe!</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Annabeth Chase &amp; Piper McLean, Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Calypso/Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque/Frank Zhang, Jason Grace &amp; Percy Jackson, Jason Grace/Piper McLean, Nico di Angelo &amp; Jason Grace, Percy Jackson &amp; Hazel Levesque</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>305 and Beyond [3]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774453</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>136</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>454</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Extra Olives</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this was originally how i started out chapter 15, but then i decided i wanted to cut straight to the coffee (non)date instead! but i liked piper being both reassuring and just a tiny bit pushy and annabeth being a big ball of confused and insecure.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Piper, it doesn’t matter what I wear,” Annabeth complained, laying on her bed and staring up at the ceiling as an absolutely deranged, half drunk, Piper McLean dug into her closet, pulling out just about everything and tossing it aside. God, cleaning that up was going to take at least half a day.</p><p>A skirt was thrown at Annabeth from the direction of the closet as Piper replied, “<i>Yes</i>, it does matter. You need to look hot.”</p><p>“I don’t need to look hot,” Annabeth said, rolling her eyes.</p><p>It was just coffee and, honestly, as long as she brushed her hair and put on a bra, whatever she wore would be an improvement on what Percy had seen her in that morning. The bar was on the floor. Annabeth actually kind of liked it that way.</p><p>“Don’t you think he’s hot?” Piper asked and Annabeth could hear the giddy smile in her best friend’s voice. She couldn’t entirely blame Piper for being so excited. Piper had been waiting for this moment for over a decade.</p><p>With a nervous chorus of butterflies in her stomach, Annabeth realized <i>she’d</i> been waiting for this moment for basically her whole life, too. Annabeth had never, not once, been on a date. At twenty-two years old, that thought was immensely depressing.</p><p>Except this wasn’t a date. It was coffee. Not a date.</p><p>“That’s beside the point,” Annabeth objected, feeling her face grow warm in response to the question. She definitely thought Percy was hot and it was becoming increasingly impossible to deny.</p><p>“And don’t you want him to think <i>you’re</i> hot?” Piper continued, as if she were leading Annabeth to a very obvious point. Admittedly, she kind of was.</p><p>“I need more beer,” Annabeth said instead of answering and rolled off her bed to trudge back into the kitchen and grab herself another bottle from the fridge.</p><p>The pizza box was still on the kitchen counter, one slice each of Annabeth and Piper’s respective halves left. Seeing it made a smile automatically pull at Annabeth’s lips as she yet again considered all the implications of that pizza. Percy had been interested enough to remember their order, which meant he’d been thinking about <i>her</i> since that night he first delivered to them, too. Feeling giddy, she stopped to sit at the counter and eat her last slice of extra olive, remembering how he’d teased her about it being weird, thinking about how he’d used it as an excuse to see her again that morning.</p><p>When she returned to her room, her stomach full of the most precious pizza in the world, Piper was looking at her with hands on her hips and a playfully irritated look in her eyes. “Admit you want him to think you’re hot, Annabeth Chase.”</p><p>Annabeth shook her head, her lips wrapped around the bottle of beer she’d just opened. Admitting that was frightening. Thinking <i>he</i> was hot, that was more or less fine. She’d found guys hot before. It was only natural. Wanting him to think things about her, though, was something else entirely.</p><p>She did, though. She knew she did. Piper knew she did. Annabeth took a long drink of her beer.</p><p>“Fine,” Annabeth finally said, when Piper just continued to stare at her. “I do.”</p><p>A wide smile split across Piper’s face and Annabeth had yet another article of clothing thrown at her, this time in excitement. “Pretty sure he already does, for the record. He’s seen you in those suits we got for your class, so, if he doesn’t he’s an absolute idiot.”</p><p>“I don’t think he’s noticed,” Annabeth replied, returning to her bed. This time she at least didn’t lay miserably on her back to stare at the ceiling. The idea of Percy not noticing left her torn – on the one hand, she did appreciate the fact he hadn’t leered at her like some perverted creep, because she remembered all too well how that felt and what being looked at that way meant. On the other hand, though, she did want him to at least <i>notice</i>, especially after all the noticing of him she’d done.</p><p>Something in her voice must have clued Piper into the confusion she felt, because Piper momentarily abandoned her task of digging through Annabeth’s closet and came to sit on the edge of the bed. “I know you said he wasn’t looking at you like that in class, but he was probably holding back because he didn’t want to be a creep and make you uncomfortable. The fact that he’s so obviously interested in you and didn’t do that? Good sign.”</p><p>“You’re probably right,” Annabeth conceded, taking another swig.</p><p>“And you’re a total hottie,” Piper replied, much more sternly than probably anyone had ever said those words.</p><p>Maybe it was the beer, or maybe Annabeth was just that confident, or maybe it was the simple fact the most gorgeous man she’d ever seen in real life had asked her to coffee just a few hours before (potentially it was all three), but Annabeth replied, “I kind of am.”</p><p>“And you’re going to look like a total hottie tomorrow,” Piper told her, still stern. “A cute hottie, though, like casually hot, since it’s just coffee. We can save the real hot stuff for your first date.”</p><p>The nervous butterflies turned to lead in Annabeth’s stomach and she shook her head. “I’m not even sure there will be a first date, Piper.”</p><p>“No biggie if there isn’t, but at least you’ll have looked great for coffee,” Piper replied, surprising Annabeth. Usually Piper was the one who tried to push Annabeth past her limit on the subject of dates. There was a glint in Piper’s eyes, though, a sparkle that was at once skeptical and all too knowing, and Annabeth realized the reason Piper wasn’t pushing was because she no longer thought she needed to.</p><p><i>There’s going to be a first date</i>, Piper’s eyes told her.</p><p>Annabeth took another long swig of her beer, refusing to admit to herself that she knew, deep down, Piper was absolutely right.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Popcorn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i wrote this just kind of for myself as an exercise but that i thought i would share anyway, because jason is dumb and i love him. will we get smth like this from percy's pov eventually? yes, yes we will.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason was an idiot.</p><p>Saturday morning he laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece together how he’d become such a massive, unforgivably embarrassing idiot.</p><p>The night before had been one of the best of his life. He’d somehow ended up on a date with the most beautiful, engaging and unpredictable woman he’d ever met. They had talked all night, more naturally than Jason had ever talked with anyone before, except maybe Thalia. She’d invited him into her apartment. Then, right when she asked him to kiss her, he left. Without kissing her.</p><p>Like an idiot.</p><p>Already he could hear what Thalia was going to say when he told her. She would use much less kind words than idiot and he’d deserve every single one of them. God, she’d probably start teasing him about Reyna – or Reyna would tease him about Reyna, because Thalia would definitely tell her, too. He decided then and there he would not be telling his sister how massively he screwed up, because he would never be able to live it down.</p><p>Feeling like an idiot wouldn’t be entirely so bad were he not convinced he’d ruined his chances with Piper by walking away when he did. Piper McLean was the kind of woman who could get any man she wanted and he couldn’t imagine she would want some dumbass who didn’t kiss her and then left. For the first time Jason was actually interested in someone and he’d managed to fuck it up on the first date.</p><p>Thankfully only Frank was awake when Jason finally made his way out of his room. Frank was the only one he knew wouldn’t tease him mercilessly, and while Jason generally didn’t mind being the butt of jokes, he was really too down on his own stupid ass to be in the mood for it. They never needed to say much to each other, so when Frank asked how the date was and Jason simply replied with, “Good,” that was enough. Instead they talked about what time they should head down to the gym.</p><p>It was at the gym, right after he’d finished his warm up run, Jason got her first text and realized, miraculously, that he was not completely and royally screwed by his own idiocy. Maybe.</p><p><b>PIPER (01:14PM)</b><br/>
really? left me hanging like that and then didn’t even text first?</p><p>Jason stared at his phone, a smile slowly pulling at his face. Running had his heart rate up already, but the way it pounded as he read the words over felt completely unfamiliar.</p><p><b>JASON (01:26PM)</b><br/>
We were up late. I didn’t want to wake you.</p><p>Sending a lie felt wrong, but he couldn’t tell her the actual reason was because he’d figured she wouldn’t want to hear from him. Or that she was massively intimidating. Or that he had no idea what he was doing because he hadn’t even been on a date since he had been eighteen and took a ridiculously annoying girl named Drew Tanaka to prom.</p><p><b>PIPER (01:28PM)</b><br/>
i’m a heavy sleeper, you don’t have to worry about that</p><p><b>JASON (01:29PM)</b><br/>
Noted. Did you sleep well?</p><p>The way Jason cringed at his own message must have been funny, because Frank laughed. “Is that her?” he asked.</p><p>“Yeah,” Jason replied, and that was all that needed to be said. They went to start their weight lifting routine for the day, Jason tucking his phone away again. It wasn’t until they were back in the locker room, getting changed, that he pulled it out and looked again.</p><p><b>PIPER (01:33PM)</b><br/>
not too well, actually<br/>
you?</p><p><b>JASON (02:52PM)</b><br/>
Sorry, was working out. I didn’t sleep well, either. What kept you up?</p><p><b>PIPER (03:04PM)</b><br/>
i couldn’t stop thinking about this really hot guy i went out with<br/>
who is now bragging about working out? wow</p><p>For a few minutes all Jason could do was look at the messages, smiling like the idiot he was. His mind refused to think of anything to say in reply. Instead his head was full of relieved screaming. Apparently being an idiot had worked out for once.</p><p>And like a ridiculous, giddy teenager, all he could think about was her calling him hot.</p><p><b>JASON (03:10PM)</b><br/>
Sounds like a lucky guy.</p><p><b>PIPER (03:15PM)</b><br/>
i don’t think he’s very into me, though<br/>
he didn’t even kiss me goodnight</p><p><b>JASON (03:16PM)</b><br/>
Wow, he’s definitely an idiot.</p><p>Jason had thought that word so many times over the course of the morning and afternoon it was starting to feel like it had no meaning. When he got back up to the apartment he was going to pull up a thesaurus and get creative. He could also just admit his idiocy to Thalia and let her do the work for him, but he wasn’t entirely sure he was there yet.</p><p><b>PIPER (03:19PM)</b><br/>
hmm, maybe i shouldn’t see him again</p><p><i>You shouldn’t,</i> Jason thought, <i>he’s an absolute fool.</i> He was smiling and confident she was only teasing him, though, and couldn’t believe she was about to give him a second chance.</p><p><b>JASON (03:24PM)</b><br/>
I bet he’d like to make it up to you.</p><p><b>PIPER (03:32PM)</b><br/>
when do you think that could be?</p><p>Her question drew him up short. If he said what he wanted, what he thought, his answer would be something along the lines of <i>right now,</i> but he knew being too eager could be a turn off and the last thing he needed was to turn her off after the way he’d messed up the night before. Thankfully when he and Frank returned from the gym, Thalia was up and getting herself something to eat. It was time to bite the bullet, tell her what he’d done, and get her advice on how to proceed.</p><p>“You’re an asshole,” Thalia replied once Jason caught her up to speed, which was honestly less aggressive than he was expecting. “Ask her if she’s free tonight. Just make sure you take a shower first so you don’t also <i>smell</i> like an asshole when you see her.”</p><p><b>JASON (03:45PM)</b><br/>
What are you doing tonight?</p><p><b>PIPER (03:48PM)</b><br/>
there’s a planet of the apes marathon on and i am HIGHLY invested</p><p><b>JASON (03:50PM)</b><br/>
The originals or the remakes?</p><p><b>PIPER (03:51PM)</b><br/>
the originals, obviously</p><p><b>JASON (03:52PM)</b><br/>
If you’d said the remakes, it might have been a deal breaker.</p><p>Only after sending the message did Jason realize what he’d said, the easy way he’d fallen into the joking, teasing dynamic she’d established the night before and seemed intent on keeping up. It made him smile, left him feeling a little breathless. Just a few hours before he’d been too scared to even text her, but already he was comfortable enough to joke again. He was in the middle of typing out another text, asking if he could join her, when her response came before he could finish.</p><p><b>PIPER (03:53PM)</b><br/>
escape is coming up next and it’s the best one, wouldn’t want you to miss it<br/>
that’s an invitation to come over, by the way</p><p><b>JASON (03:54PM)</b><br/>
I need to shower. Give me about half an hour?<br/>
Also, the first one is the best one. Escape is a solid second.</p><p><b>PIPER (03:55PM)</b><br/>
you’re on thin ice now, sir<br/>
go shower before you end up sharing any more embarrassing movie opinions</p><p>Jason took the quickest shower of his life, but then he stood in front of his closet deliberating on what to wear for the first time ever. He considered going to ask Thalia again – that had always been his instinct, to ask his sister for advice on everything, to defer to her judgment. It had gotten him through life well enough until then.</p><p>No, he could do this himself. They were just watching a movie, so there was no need to dress up too much. Jeans were good, and a long sleeved t-shirt, except once he had them on he thought he looked too casual. Piper was naturally fashionable, and he looked completely unimpressive. So, he changed, a nicer pair of jeans and a collared shirt under a sweater, but untucked because <i>casual.</i> He almost changed again, but he was nearing his half hour deadline and he didn’t want to keep her waiting, so the outfit would have to suffice.</p><p>When he found himself standing in front of her door, staring at the golden 305 that adorned the painted wood, Jason hesitated. Once he knocked, she would answer. Once she answered, he would kiss her. Like the night before, he found himself genuinely scared by the prospect.</p><p>It had been years since the last time Jason had kissed anyone. Most of the girls he met were friends of the family, interactions awkward and strained, superficial and artificial. They expected him to be the impressive, put together youngest son and pride of the Grace family. They didn’t tease him about his movie opinions, joke about not wanting to see him again, or hit on him <i>after</i> seeing him face plant into a bar counter. If one of those women were on the other side of that door, he might not have been so nervous. He certainly wouldn’t be worried he was a terrible kisser, and he definitely wouldn’t be disappointed if she didn’t want him after.</p><p>Three knocks on the door, the sound of her approaching from the other side, a click of the lock, and then Piper McLean was standing before him.</p><p>“I was starting to worry you weren’t going to show,” she said, her tone teasing and light, her lips pulled into the faintest hint of a smile.</p><p>Maybe it was shallow, but the other thing that set Piper apart was how impossibly beautiful she was. Her eyes were wide and seemed to change color depending on how the light caught them, never quite the same hue, somehow switching between countless, fascinating shades of brown. Just those eyes would have been enough to make her the most stunning person he’d ever seen, but they were set into a face that was at once defined and delicate, with high cheekbones and a matching high bridged nose. She looked regal, like she should have lived her whole life with a crown resting on her head.</p><p>Instead of saying hello or apologizing for making her wait like a non-idiot would have, Jason said, “I’m going to kiss you now.”</p><p>“Oh, thank God,” she managed to get out before Jason stepped into the doorway, cradled her face in his hands and leaned down to kiss her.</p><p>Fighting off his fear should have been more difficult, but he wanted her too much to care about being scared when the moment finally came. Even he could tell he was stiff, awkward, but the way her soft lips responded to his coaxed him into relaxing and quickly his head was tilting, their kiss deepening. His heart pounded in his chest, his senses quickly becoming overwhelmed. </p><p>The scent of vanilla and cinnamon wafted over him. Her lips tasted like salt, butter and beer. As the seconds ticked by and he continued to kiss her, a soft, sweet sound rumbled in the back of her throat. His arms dropped around her waist just in time to feel her body go a little weak, and he held her close against him in response, the warmth of her slowly melting away the chill of the early January evening.</p><p>Jason felt a little like a different person when he finally pulled away, a person who was less afraid of going after what he wanted. His lips pulled into a smile as he hovered close to her, soaking in the magic of the moment – the magic of Piper McLean. He couldn’t believe he’d been so foolish as to not have kissed her the night before.</p><p>“I made popcorn,” she whispered, wearing a smile that matched his.</p><p>“Uh-huh,” he replied, only half hearing her. Words still didn’t feel entirely real.</p><p>Piper giggled, the sound pure and high, like a bell, and before he even knew what he was doing, he leaned into her and kissed her again. They hadn’t even stepped out of the doorway yet.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Cheetos</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this was originally going to in chapter 27, but then chapter 27 got away from me and needed to be cut down, so i rearranged it and decided to rewrite this from percy's pov. why his pov? i really am not sure. it just felt right.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The way Annabeth was chewing on the cap of her pen was completely unfair.</p><p>Of course, she had no idea how insane it drove him. Percy hadn’t told her. He wasn’t sure she quite understood how crazy <i>everything</i> she did drove him. Like the way she had burrowed her toes under his thigh, or the way she kept rolling her head to stretch her neck, or the way her entire face would scrunch up while she read, or the way she kept distractedly reaching for a Cheeto from the bowl setting between them, her hand flailing idly as she searched for them without looking up. Oh, and the way she’d delicately suck on the tips of her fingers after every chip, that was worst of all. It was impossible to focus on his work when she sat there on the other end of the couch, so close and still so desperately far away.</p><p>Class had felt the same on Monday, like he was losing his mind. He’d had to stand there, in front of the rest of his students, and talk like a normal person while she sat on the bleachers looking like she’d walked straight out of his dreams. Her suit had been polka dotted and blue. It had to be his favorite color, like she’d known even though he hadn’t told her. Annabeth had never worn particularly revealing suits, which had been the greatest mercy of Percy’s twenty-two years, but she didn’t need to. The nylon clung to her in all the best ways, and the cut somehow managed to accentuate every curve of her body perfectly.</p><p>They’d kept a careful distance from each other, but every once in a while she had caught his eye and flashed him a sly grin, like they were sharing a secret – and, he supposed, they kind of were, even if Leo and Hazel already knew, and he was pretty sure Frank did, too. Those knowing, teasing glances were almost more torturous than the way she looked. Every time he wanted to walk (or swim) right over to her and kiss her until they were both dizzy.</p><p>Percy seriously thought he deserved an award for his own self-control by the end of that hour.</p><p>Sitting there in the living room, it had only been three days since their first date, three days since she’d first kissed him, three days since she’d opened up a part of herself to him that she had – by her own admission – never opened up to anyone else before. He wanted more of it all, dates, kisses and everything about her. Maybe it was selfish, considering the things he knew he would never be able to share with her, but he couldn’t help himself.</p><p>“Have you gotten any reading done at all tonight, Percy?” she asked, jarring him from his thoughts. Her lips were pressed together, barely containing a smile, her intense eyes practically a force of nature as they studied him and set his heart to racing.</p><p>“No,” he answered honestly.</p><p>He could feel her toes wiggling beneath him as she replied, teasing, “Seems like this was a bad idea. You’ve wasted the whole evening.”</p><p>“I wouldn’t call the evening wasted,” he told her, though he was already closing up his book and tossing it aside, letting go of all pretense he was studying. If she’d caught him staring at her instead of reading, he might as well do it shamelessly.</p><p>Something in her eyes changed as she looked back at him, and suddenly Annabeth was closing her own textbook and notebook up, tossing them aside. “What would you call it, then?” she asked.</p><p>Anticipation quickened his pulse further as he watched her tortuously dig her teeth into her own bottom lip. Since Sunday their kisses had remained relatively chaste, mostly because they’d only seen each other on campus, in public. They weren’t on campus anymore, and Annabeth’s roommate was out on a date of her own, but he still hesitated. As much as he wanted <i>more</i>, the last thing he wanted was to put her in even the most remotely uncomfortable position and he wasn’t entirely sure what and how much she’d be comfortable with. Percy really did want those lips, though.</p><p>“Earth to Percy Jackson,” Annabeth called, once again pulling him from his own thoughts. This time she wasn’t trying to contain her smile, her face alight with amusement. She’d scooted a little further down the couch while he’d been lost in his own head, the bowl of Cheetos set safely on the ground.</p><p>“Percy is unavailable at the moment,” he replied, his own mouth pulling into a grin as she continued to inch closer to him. Cautiously, he reached out to slip his arm around her waist and pull her the rest of the way, her feet popping out from under him as her legs draped across his lap instead.</p><p>She didn’t object to the slight manhandling and just like that her face was an inch from his, the sweet, subtle scent of lemon that always clung to her washing over him. “May I ask why?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper, and from the sharp, uneven way her breath was coming he could tell she was just as affected as he was.</p><p>“He’s currently being tortured by the most beautiful woman he’s ever set eyes on,” Percy told her, those eyes of his most definitely crossed as he continued to stare at her. Up close like this she was, impossibly, even more stunning.</p><p>Annabeth brought her hand to his face, her fingers brushing against his jaw as she studied him, just as cross eyed as he was. She was completely breathless as she said, “I think he’s the one doing the torturing here.”</p><p>That was all he could take. Percy closed the inch between them and claimed her lips with a desperation that had been building in him since Sunday. Annabeth responded in kind, her arms winding immediately around his neck and pulling herself closer to him. It was a relief, like he really had been in pain the entire time they hadn’t been kissing, tortured by the absence of her.</p><p>No one had ever kissed him the way she did. It was as if she needed him to live, like he was a lifeline she was clinging to. The feeling was mutual. When she kissed him he felt the years melt away, his mistakes and regrets fading into the background until he was <i>just</i> Percy and she was <i>just</i> Annabeth and there was nothing that could touch either of them. How a kiss could feel like that from the very first, he had no idea, but it had felt that way Sunday and it still felt that way kissing her on the couch days later.</p><p>Only this time there was no reason to stop, no imminent threats to be faced. He got to keep kissing her. Her soft lips, like a little piece of heaven, responded to his excitedly. They weren’t passive or tentative, they were as insistent and demanding as his own, and then those teeth that had been taunting him for what felt like a lifetime grazed his bottom lip and he was entirely at her mercy.</p><p>“Tell me if something is too much,” he said, pulling away just enough to get the words out. He felt her nose brush against his own as she nodded and then she was kissing him again, his lips parting willingly as her tongue pressed its way into his mouth and his own welcomed it. </p><p>Trusting she would pull the brakes, he relaxed into her. One of his arms stayed firmly around her waist, but the other hand traveled down to her thigh, sliding between her knee and her hip and back down again slowly. Even just touching her over her jeans was exhilarating. Everything about her was perfect, like someone had crafted his exact ideal in marble and brought her to life. It was hard to believe he was allowed this, to touch and kiss her at all, let alone that she clearly wanted him just as badly as he wanted her.</p><p>When Percy broke his lips away from hers she let out a quiet whine that made him smirk with pride, but it was quickly followed by a contented sigh as he instead pressed his lips against her jaw and began to trace the length of her neck. That was something he’d wanted to do longer than she could know, and he felt satisfied beyond words as her head tilted to the side to allow him better access. Her fingers pulled at his hair, encouraging him, and it was all he could do not to leave a trail of telling bruises on her pristine skin. </p><p>He did leave one, though, at the base of her neck. When his teeth brushed her there she let out the most beautiful sound he’d ever heard and he couldn’t help himself. He lingered, sucking and nibbling, making her sigh and whimper and, when he was satisfied, he pulled back to look at the little red mark he knew would only darken with time.</p><p>Annabeth tugged his hair, making his gaze turn to her face, and God, was she really, truly, the most gorgeous woman he’d ever set eyes on. Her lips were red and swollen, her cheeks tinted a beautiful shade of pink, her pupils shot with clear desire. Any insecurities he might have felt were turned to ash by the way she looked back at him, as if he, too, were the most gorgeous thing she’d ever set eyes on.</p><p>From their first class he’d noticed the way she looked at him, the raw yearning that had been so barely contained. He had fought against every instinct to look at her the same way in those first few classes, working to remain professional, respectful, when all he wanted to do was rake his eyes over her again and again until he memorized every beautiful curve of her body. She wasn’t in a swimsuit there on the couch, but he finally felt free to appreciate how completely sexy she was.</p><p>Except Annabeth wasn’t in the mood to be stared at. Percy got maybe ten seconds of staring time before she was pulling him back up to her and crushing his lips with another fervent kiss.</p><p>They continued like that, alternating between ravenous kisses, burning trails along each others necks, and breathless staring, until the room began to feel uncomfortably hot and Percy thought his whole brain had very likely melted into a useless puddle in his head. There were a few more red spots on Annabeth’s neck when they pulled apart for the last time and Percy knew there were probably at least as many on his own. No worries about having pushed boundaries had time to take root, because Annabeth was smiling – bright, stunning, content.</p><p>“You’re right. Definitely not wasted,” she whispered, her arms wrapped lazily over his shoulders as they both struggled to catch their breath.</p><p>Percy couldn’t help laughing. “I’m always right,” he teased, surprising even himself that he had it in him to be smug when she’d just all but destroyed him without removing a single article of clothing – and even though he was <i>definitely</i> aroused and would have been happy to continue, he was completely sated all the same.</p><p>“No, this was definitely a fluke,” she replied, some of the strength returning to her arms as she pulled herself closer to him again.</p><p>Both of Percy’s arms wrapped around her, and then she curled against him with her face tucking into his neck. Holding her, feeling her breathing begin to even out, her body soft and warm against him, he felt entirely at peace. Before long they’d have to pull themselves apart and he would have to leave for the night, that much he unfortunately knew. He really, really wished he could stay, though.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Fruit Loops & Cheerios</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i wrote this as a bit of an exercise for myself and it is fairly short, but i liked it enough that i thought i would share as a tack-on to chapter 33!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Percy was hungry. Very hungry, actually. Usually the first thing he did after waking up was eat. That morning the first thing he'd done after waking up was make out with and talk to Annabeth. Yes, that was a much better way to wake up than eating, but it still meant he was hungry as hell.</p><p>She was in the bathroom getting herself cleaned up – though really, he wished she wouldn't, because she was the cutest thing on the planet with her hair a mess and her eyes full of gross crusties, and he was the absolute luckiest man alive not only because he got to see her that way, but because she'd let him sleep beside her – so Percy made his way out to the kitchen on his own. </p><p>It was slightly uncomfortable for him to act at home in someone else's apartment, but she'd told him not to be shy and, well, his stomach was demanding. When Percy was hungry, he was not shy. His first instinct was to make pancakes, enough for everyone, but as soon as he started poking through the kitchen he made a horrifying discovery – apparently Annabeth and Piper had nothing to cook with. Their cupboards were filled with nothing but snacks, the fridge and freezer stocked only with things that could be eaten raw, like fruits and vegetables or yogurt, or microwavable meals. No pancake mix. Not even flour to try making them from scratch with. There weren’t even <i>eggs</i>.</p><p>Thankfully they at least had milk and cereal, so Percy resigned himself to making due with that much.</p><p>When he heard movement down the hall, Percy was already halfway through his second bowl of Fruit Loops. He expected Annabeth to round the wall into the kitchen, but instead Percy found himself face to face with Jason Grace.</p><p>Jason froze, his hand in the midst of running through his short, tidy hair. Percy also froze, leaned over his bowl of Fruit Loops with his spoon halfway to his mouth. They stared, sizing each other up. The word awkward was a massive understatement.</p><p>Percy had no problems with Jason. He seemed like a pretty cool guy, if a little stuffy, and Percy had heard good things about him from Hazel, though she mostly knew Jason through Nico. The problem lay in what <i>Jason</i> thought about <i>Percy</i>. It would make sense if there was animosity the other way around, but the last thing Percy wanted was some kind of confrontation. That was easy enough to avoid when the girls had been with them, but Percy wasn’t sure what was going to happen once they were alone.</p><p>There was also the issue that Percy had just overheard Jason and Piper getting it on and it was definitely altering the way he looked at the other guy. Getting that out of his head was going to take some time. </p><p>With a sigh, Jason crossed into the kitchen and grabbed the box of Cheerios sitting on the counter. Percy found this mildly amusing. The Fruit Loops he was eating were Piper's, the Cheerios Annabeth's. He kept the thought to himself, though, as Jason brought a bowl over to the island and poured himself some cereal.</p><p>"We should probably talk," Jason finally spoke, when he was halfway through his own bowl and Percy was just starting his third – he would owe Piper a new box of Fruit Loops, that much was sure.</p><p>"Right," Percy agreed, growing more uncomfortable by the second. If Jason was about to start asking questions about Reyna or Bianca, Percy wasn't sure how he'd even begin answering, but he knew they did need to have a conversation, if only for Annabeth’s and Piper’s sake.</p><p>In the years since Bianca's death, Percy had gotten good at avoiding the subject with most others. There had only been two people he talked about the incident openly with – Hazel, and the therapist his mom had forced him to start seeing a few months after the incident. Already he'd had to deflect when Annabeth asked that morning, though he didn't blame her for wanting to know, and he was endlessly thankful that she had trusted him enough to drop the subject when he asked.</p><p>After all she had shared with him, he felt immensely guilty having to shut her down, but it had been for the best. Maybe someday, somehow, they could have that conversation, but Percy struggled to imagine it being possible. He’d try to make it up to her in any way possible.</p><p>It wasn't Bianca that Jason wanted to talk about though. Instead he said, after a deep breath, "I want us to have a clean slate."</p><p>"Really?" Percy asked, surprised.</p><p>"I've thought about it, talked to Reyna and Nico, and I think it would be a good idea," Jason replied, nodding, though the deep, brooding expression he wore told Percy it hadn't been an easy conclusion to come to. "What you've done for Annabeth this last week… well, I haven't known her long, but I do consider her a friend and I can't help being… thankful."</p><p>Percy shook his head as he chewed through a mouthful of Fruit Loops before responding. "I didn't do much, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat. Most of it has been pretty selfish, too."</p><p>"Yeah, well, still," Jason said, his brow furrowing and his lips turned into a contemplative frown. “I have a feeling we’re going to be spending a lot of time together from now on and I’d like to give being friendly a proper shot, at the very least.”</p><p>The offer meant a lot to Percy. It would have been a lie to say he hadn’t been worried about how his history might impact his chances with Annabeth. She had been understanding, kind enough to look past what little she knew about those events years before, but if it were to continue to cause problems for her with her best friend’s boyfriend, he would have understood it becoming a bigger issue. The chance to start fresh was welcome, maybe even more than he deserved.</p><p>"Clean slate, then," Percy said, putting down his spoon to offer up his hand. They shook on it over the counter.</p><p>A clean slate, however, did not mean things were any less awkward. They returned to their breakfasts in silence, but not the comfortable kind of silence. Almost frantically, Percy’s mind searched for something, anything, to say. He knew next to nothing about Jason, and what he did know gave him the impression they didn’t have much in common. They could talk about Hazel or Nico, but he wasn’t sure if that would be a great way to avoid the things Percy definitely <i>didn’t</i> want to talk about. What he did know was that Jason was also a New York native, and a guy. There was one thing he could usually count on working under those circumstances.</p><p>“So, the Knicks suck ass again this season,” Percy observed before shoving a spoonful of Fruit Loops in his mouth.</p><p>For a second Jason looked at him, perplexed, then he grinned. “I was hoping we’d have a better season with the new coaches, but we probably won’t even make the playoffs again at this rate.”</p><p>That was it, all it took, and by the time Annabeth wandered out of the bathroom to join them, Percy and Jason were deep in conversation about basketball. Piper joined them shortly after, giving Annabeth the least subtle look of confusion Percy had ever seen, but the girls didn’t interrupt the basketball debate while they poured themselves cereal. Annabeth leaned against Percy as she ate her boring Cheerios. Piper tried to force feed Jason some of her much more interesting Fruit Loops.</p><p>The entire morning, awkwardness and all, was certainly something Percy could get used to.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Margaritas</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this was originally going to be chapter 35, but i felt like things were dragging too much and decided to cut it and its accompanying piper chapter. the brunt of piper's chapter ended up repurposed into future chapters, but this one remained mostly untouched. since i love percabeth fluff too much, i figured i might as well share it here!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Annabeth had never been quite so content as she felt lounging on the couch against Percy’s chest.</p><p>It was late and she knew Percy needed to head home soon so he could pack and get ready for their flight the next afternoon, but she really didn’t want him to go. A thrill went through her as she thought about how the next four nights he wouldn’t have to go – they’d be sharing a room and a bed at the McLean house. The prospect should have scared her, but nothing with Percy followed any logical sense and this was no exception.</p><p>Somehow he’d agreed to give her free reign of his camera roll and Annabeth was slowly scrolling through the pictures on it, like peeking through a window into his life. His arms were settled around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder from behind as he watched the stream of images along with her.</p><p>“Is this from last year?” Annabeth asked with a laugh, looking at a picture of Percy, Leo and Hazel dressed up for what she assumed was Halloween. It wasn’t just the three of them, though. In Leo’s arms was a small girl. Annabeth had already seen plenty of pictures of that cute little one (honestly, <i>most</i> of Percy’s pictures were of her) and recognized her as Estelle, Percy and Leo’s five year old sister.</p><p>Estelle was dressed as Princess Ariel, in a cute dress of a costume with poofy sleeves and a mermaid skirt that flared out at the bottom in a cloud of tulle. Leo was dressed as her dashing Prince Eric, in his iconic white shirt and blue pants combination. Next to them was Percy, in a massive yellow and blue Flounder costume with his face smiling out of the fish’s mouth. Hazel finished out the group as Ursula, her mass of curly hair spray painted white and her skin painted purple.</p><p>A laugh rumbled through Percy’s chest, Annabeth’s heart fluttering in time with the vibrations. “Yeah. We decided to do a family costume because Mom and Dad let us take her Trick-or-Treating ourselves.”</p><p>“Did you and Leo fight over who got to be Eric?” Annabeth asked, flipping through more pictures from that evening, most of which were taken by Percy of the other three. Her favorite in the series was actually a video of Hazel chasing Estelle, the girl screaming with delight as Hazel did her best evil laugh and finally caught her. Estelle seemed pretty happy to be caught. Every image and clip was bursting with love and happiness.</p><p>Percy scoffed another laugh. “No way. I <i>wanted</i> to be Flounder.”</p><p>“Of course you did,” she replied, coming to another one of the group, this one with Estelle on Leo’s shoulders. Without even bothering to ask, Annabeth pressed a few buttons and sent herself the image. Percy had already given her permission to do that as she pleased. She felt spoiled, but that wasn’t going to stop her.</p><p>She continued to scroll through the images, past selfies from summer vacations at the beach, shots of Percy with his fellow swim teammates, pictures of his parents, Sally and Paul, more of Estelle as she got younger the further back they went, of Leo and Hazel and Grover and Grover’s fiance, Juniper. Annabeth continued to ask questions here and there, warmth spreading through her chest every time she learned another small detail about Percy’s life.</p><p>“That’s the day she was born. It was one of the best days of my life,” Percy offered before Annabeth could ask, when she’d reached a picture of a much younger Percy holding a tiny, red, wrinkled baby in his arms stiffly. It was clear from his body language that he was scared to be holding her, not sure what to do with such a fragile human, but even in the image his smile was so wide and bright it was blinding.</p><p>For the first time in over an hour, Annabeth set the phone down. “What would you say were the five best days of your life? In no particular order.”</p><p>“The day Estelle was born, definitely,” Percy started, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck as he paused to think. “The day my parents got married and we became a family for real. The first time I won a swimming race, although I was six and I don’t remember the details very well. The day Hazel finally stopped running away from me. And, now, the night I delivered your pizza.”</p><p>Annabeth rolled her eyes, though she couldn’t help smiling. “<i>That</i> night, really? Wouldn’t basically any day since then have been better?”</p><p>“Nah, that night was the best,” Percy replied easily, then dipped his head to brush his lips against her neck and make her breathing hitch. The way his lips felt on her skin was addictive and it terrified her how discontent she was already becoming with simply having them on her neck or shoulders. She wanted them everywhere.</p><p>“You’re so weird,” she told him, trying to keep her voice light and teasing.</p><p>He smiled against her skin, nuzzling into her yet again. “What about you, what are your five best days?”</p><p>Five whole best days were hard to think of, Annabeth chewing on her bottom lip as she considered the question. “My first Parents’ Day with Piper. The day we both got our acceptance letters to NYU. The day we moved in here. When I made the Dean’s List for the first time. And… the night you delivered our pizza.”</p><p>“Oh, so it’s good enough for you, but not for me?” Percy asked, incredulous.</p><p>“Mhmm,” Annabeth answered without qualm.</p><p>Percy nipped at her ear playfully, his lips brushing against it as he whispered, “You’re a brat.”</p><p>“Are you just figuring that out?” she teased, trying to resist the urge to reach back and tangle her fingers in his hair.</p><p>“No, it’s one of my favorite things about you,” he replied, his arms tightening around her, the words making her chest ache with the warmth that had settled there from the moment she’d started looking through his pictures. Then he stretched one arm out and held up his palm. “Give me your phone, though, it’s my turn.”</p><p>“There’s nothing interesting in my pictures,” she complained instantly, though she still picked her phone up off the coffee table and unlocked it for him. With a small huff, she dropped it in his hand. Returning the favor <i>was</i> only fair. “Your life is much more exciting than mine has ever been,” she warned.</p><p>Her objections didn’t bother Percy, who quickly pulled up her gallery and began scrolling through pictures. “Are they all just of Piper?” he asked, and though he was teasing, he definitely wasn’t wrong. </p><p>Most of her pictures <i>were</i> of Piper. A lot of her camera roll was also filled with buildings and monuments she’d visited. There were some pictures of both of them, too, and the occasional shot of just Annabeth (usually taken by Piper, of course), but for the most part Annabeth’s phone was filled with Piper McLean. Percy probably would have enjoyed looking through Piper’s phone more, as it was filled just as completely with Annabeth. For years they had been the center of each other’s universes.</p><p>Annabeth also didn’t take as many pictures as him in general, so they quickly made their way back through the years. Before long Percy asked, “When did you go to Europe?”</p><p>“Summer after freshman year,” Annabeth answered, her brow furrowing as her pictures turned almost exclusively into shots of all the beautiful architecture she’d seen on that summer long vacation. Her feelings about that trip were mixed. She’d loved the sightseeing, but Piper had been <i>distracted</i> for most of it, and as a result they’d ended up fighting several times. Annabeth had almost come home early after their last fight, but Piper had convinced her to stay. In general, Annabeth tried not to think too much about it.</p><p>“Where all d– Oh. Oh, <i>hello</i>,” he said, sitting up a little straighter behind her as he stumbled upon a string of pictures from a beach side resort she and Piper had spent a week at in Spain. In the pictures Piper had taken, Annabeth was laid out on a poolside lounge chair with a giant margarita in hand, one as big as her head, especially tan from having already spent weeks in the sun, and wearing a simple, white halter bikini. For each shot she had posed according to Piper’s direction, feeling absolutely ridiculous the whole time.</p><p>Immediately she reached for her phone, heat rising to her cheeks, but he lifted it out of her reach easily because his arms were stupidly long. “You got to ogle at all my beach pictures,” Percy objected with a laugh.</p><p>“That’s different, you were wearing <i>more</i> than you wear in class in most of those,” she replied with the tiniest of huffs, trying to tug on his arm to bring the phone within reach. Unfortunately, along with being stupidly long, his arm was stupidly buff.</p><p>Apparently he thought that was a valid point, because he dropped his arm and offered her the phone. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”</p><p>With the phone offered to her, though, it suddenly felt less important. Annabeth hesitated to take it from him. The bikini she wore in the pictures wasn’t exceptionally revealing, the top supportive and the bottom high waisted. She actually thought she looked pretty good in the pictures, and the fact that Percy was so excited about them was admittedly thrilling. That he was also so clearly excited but still handing the phone over after her expressed discomfort was also thrilling, in a much different way.</p><p>“You can keep looking,” she decided, her face still warm as she settled back against him.</p><p>“Really?” Percy asked, the smile he wore so wide it was obvious just in his voice.</p><p>“Yes, go ahead and be a perv to your heart’s content,” she told him, trying not to smile herself in response.</p><p>Percy lingered on each of the pictures much longer than he had most others, until he reached a more candid shot Piper had taken – Annabeth still stretched out on the lounge chair, but with her legs crossed and her nose buried in a book rather than with that ridiculous drink in hand. “Can I send myself this one?” he asked, his voice quiet and, if Annabeth wasn’t mistaken, a little shy.</p><p>She could say no, she knew that much, but she didn’t want to. “Go ahead,” she replied, and when his thumbs quickly flew into motion sending the picture, Percy tucked his face into her neck and she could feel him smile against her skin.</p><p>“Why aren’t there many pictures of Piper on this trip?” he asked as he continued through the images, which really were almost exclusively buildings and scenery.</p><p>“She met someone while we were over there,” Annabeth answered, her nose wrinkling. “I did most of my sightseeing alone. It kind of sucked, actually.”</p><p>“I take it you didn’t like him?”</p><p>For a handful of seconds Annabeth busied herself with picking at lint on her sweatpants, not looking at her phone as Percy continued to scroll through images. The trip to Europe was still, after over two years, a sensitive subject for her, and she didn’t want to delve too deeply into everything that had gone wrong that summer. She and Piper hardly even talked about it themselves.</p><p>“I was jealous,” Annabeth finally said, deciding that angle was the best to most succinctly explain how she’d felt without going into the more frustrating details. “We were supposed to be there together. It was one of those things that was like a dream since we were young, but I became kind of a third wheel and it ruined the whole thing.”</p><p>“The Olympics are in Rome this year, you know,” Percy said, his voice soft, tentative. “I’d… I’d want you there, if you’d want to come. Assuming I make it, I mean.”</p><p>All the grumpiness she felt at the memories of her trip through Europe with Piper instantly melted away, a small smile pulling at her lips. When Percy had brought up her brothers visiting for Spring Break or the summer, she’d had a similar feeling of contentedness, wonderment at the ease with which he talked about making plans together for almost half a year in the future. It made her giddy not just to think he was so confident in their relationship already, but that he so clearly wanted to keep her around all that time. She wanted to keep him around too, kind of desperately.</p><p>“I want to,” she confirmed. “And you’ll make it, don’t worry.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Blue Lemonade</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this contains spoilers for chapter 41 of the main storyline!</p><p>i wrote this pretty early on (before i even published the first chapter) while trying to kind of understand percy's motivations and just kind of where his head was at. i considered rewriting several of their early interactions from his pov as well, to kind of delve into what he was thinking vs what annabeth thought he was thinking, just because it would be funny, but... i didn't.</p><p>anyway, i hope you enjoy this dive into our dumb boy's head.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Percy hadn’t been very excited about taking a course simply titled, <i>The American Short Story</i>. He’d wanted to take one about film as literature, but it had conflicted with one of the classes he needed for his major and getting his English requirements out of the way early would make his next two years significantly easier. He ended up settling when registration rolled around. </p><p>In the end, it wasn’t so bad. For an entire semester he got to sit in the back of the lecture hall and stare at <i>her</i>.</p><p>Even in a sea of over a hundred undergrads, in a lecture hall larger than the auditorium at his high school, she stood out. Hair so golden was hard to miss. That hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose, natural curls. Percy knew most girls could spend hours trying to replicate them and never quite accomplish the same, perfect look. He spent at least a week just thinking about her hair: how it would feel between his fingers; the way the sunlight caught it on those early fall afternoons when the lecture hall’s curtains were left open and made it sparkle; how she’d get annoyed with it halfway through class and tie it back, exposing the breathtaking line of her neck, only for rebellious ringlets to somehow work their way free again.</p><p>She sat right up front, focused and attentive, the first hand to shoot up when their professor asked for questions. Her questions were always insightful, things Percy himself never would have thought of, but found himself curious about as soon as the words were out of her mouth. He got more out of the course than he probably otherwise would have, mostly because of those brilliant questions she posed, and also because he only really paid attention to their professor when it was her questions being answered.</p><p>It wasn’t his fault he couldn’t pay attention (although this was not a problem exclusive to their shared class). Percy wasn’t the only one whose eyes were drawn to her over and over again. He regularly noticed other gazes turned her way. There was no doubt half the class was just as transfixed as he was by the curve of her body when she stretched halfway through their lecture, by the way her jeans hugged her hips as she shifted to find a more comfortable position in those hellish wooden chairs, or by the way she would tap the end of her pen on her full bottom lip between scribbling notes.</p><p>His favorite moment came about half way through the semester. Like every lecture, when their professor asked for questions, her hand shot up. Percy forgot before long what she’d asked. The content of her question didn’t matter as much as their professor’s answer had, because apparently their professor said something wrong. She quickly corrected him, without hesitation and with a hint of superiority on her voice, like she’d caught him in a trap. Their professor backtracked, covering for his mistake and proceeding to finish answering her question, annoyed.</p><p>That was, without a doubt, one of the hottest things Percy had ever seen.</p><p>More than once over those long months he considered going down and talking to her, asking her out like a normal person rather than an absolute coward, but the last thing he needed was to get into a relationship. Most of his time was spent in the pool or weight room, the rest of it balancing work and school. College had been a tough adjustment for Percy and his grades hadn’t been great freshman year. </p><p>There was also Leo. They’d barely spoken two words to each other the previous year, despite the fact they went to the same school and still slept in the creaky old bunk beds stuffed into their tiny shared bedroom. After the years they’d spent building a relationship, becoming brothers, it had to have been a girl, of all things, that had come between them. Percy still hated himself for that. Percy still hated himself for a lot of things.</p><p>If Percy started dating, especially someone so naturally distracting, he worried he’d end up neglecting that critical relationship with Leo right when things were finally on the mend. That was a risk he couldn’t take. Leo was more important than any potential romance ever would be.</p><p>As a general rule, Percy had no problem being friends with girls. Hazel, one of his closest and oldest friends, was a girl, and neither of them had ever entertained romantic feelings for the other. Rachel, his high school girlfriend, had made the transition to friend very easily – mostly because they’d realized their feelings had never really been anything but platonic to begin with – but she was off in Europe “discovering herself,” whatever the hell that meant. Grover’s girlfriend, Juniper, had become a good friend to him in her own right, apart from just their connection through Grover. He often hung out with several of the girls on the swim team, too, and really enjoyed their company. Girls made great friends and Percy liked friends.</p><p>His problem was being friends with <i>this</i> girl. Somehow he knew, no matter how hard he might try to fight it, there was only one way it would end if he made that introduction, even with purely platonic intentions. He wanted her – her intelligent questions and insightful mind challenging him, her beautiful hair between his fingers, her lips all over him.</p><p>But the time wasn’t right and so, when December rolled around and the semester ended, she slipped out of his reach.</p><p>Life went on, and most of the time Percy forgot about the stunning blonde with the quick witted questions, tempting neckline, and kissable lips. Every once in a while, though, he’d spot someone in a crowd and think, for a second, maybe it was her, and maybe this time he should get her number, but when he’d look closer he’d realize it was someone else entirely and experience the sting of disappointment yet again. When that happened his mind would spend a few days lingering back on those same fantasies that had occupied him for an entire semester.</p><p>There had been a <i>lot</i> of fantasies – peeling those jeans off her hips and running his hands over her thighs; his mouth trailing down her neck; her teeth nibbling on his bottom lip the way they did her pens; his hand buried in those golden blonde curls; the way she’d shift beneath him, not from discomfort, but desire, from pleasure; laying in bed with her sweaty body pressed against his, while she talked about something he probably wouldn’t really understand as he slowly drifted into a contented sleep wrapped in her arms.</p><p>A few times his junior year, when he was feeling more confident in both his friendship with Leo and his standing at school, Percy tried going on dates. His friends were fairly good at setting him up. The girls were always pretty, and some were even fun to talk to, but the dates always fell flat before long. He only rarely saw a girl more than once and nothing ever got too serious. They simply never sparked his interest. Those nights, too, back at his apartment, he always found himself thinking about her.</p><p>Well, not always. On occasion he’d give in and go home with a girl, someone cute he met at a party or bar. The man had needs.</p><p>If he’d known her name, he might have been able to ask around and bribe someone into making an introduction, but their professor had never bothered learning any names to call on students, never even taken roll, and Percy, like the top shelf idiot he was, had never asked. Sure, his reason for not asking had made sense back then, but the more time passed, the more he hated his younger self for failing to at least learn who she was. Two years had passed and still she clouded his thoughts, a torturous <i>what if</i> he was beginning to worry might haunt him for the rest of his life.</p><p>That night as he was out delivering pizzas, tired from a long Sunday shift, she was the farthest thing from his mind, though. His thoughts were occupied by his upcoming final semester of school, the looming decision about whether or not he was going to continue his swimming career or fade into obscurity after graduation, what the hell he was going to do with the class he was teaching for Coach Hedge in the morning – it was Percy’s fourth semester teaching it, but he still never bothered planning ahead. Thankfully he’d been delivering so long he could do it on autopilot.</p><p>He only had about an hour left before he was free, and the girl at the apartment he’d just delivered to had given him a very generous tip, so he was in a good enough mood as he made his way out of the building. A shouted, “Hey!” from behind him stopped Percy just short of the front door.</p><p>“Can I help you?” he asked and turned to see who had called out.</p><p><i>She</i> stared back at him from the bottom of the stairs. Her blonde hair was tied up and it struggled to escape its confines in just the same way he remembered. Her eyes were so alive, a startling shade of gray he’d never seen on anyone else before and had never gotten close enough to truly appreciate in class. The way she looked at him was strange, confusing, like seeing him was as startling for her as it was for him. Briefly he entertained the idea she might have noticed him back in that class they shared too, but no, he would have noticed if she had noticed him.</p><p>There was also something more intimate about the way she looked now. In class she had always at least been in jeans and a t-shirt (or, on those few especially hot early autumn afternoons, shorts that had blessed him with an hour long viewing of her unfairly perfect, long legs). That night she was in a pair of sweats and a tank top. None of her other admirers from class had gotten to see her in this natural state, only Percy.</p><p>Well, unless one of them had been less of a moron and actually asked her out, which he was realizing for the first time in that moment was very possible. Even more likely was that she was already dating someone. That realization was a punch to the gut, because it seemed impossible to him someone so beautiful, so smart, so innately <i>interesting</i> didn’t already have a long line of suitors prepared to give her the world. </p><p>When she didn’t respond, he shifted, trying to clear his wild thoughts away, ignore the way his heart was racing, and asked, “Is something wrong with your order?”</p><p>After a shake of her head and few blinks, she replied, “Yeah. Our pizza is wrong.”</p><p>Of course. She didn’t know him. He’d known that. Trying to hide his disappointment, he asked, “What’d you order?” and pulled out the pile of that night’s receipts from his pocket.</p><p>“Large, half veggie combo, half extra olives,” she told him, standing a little straighter and crossing her arms. Her intensity was entrancing, even when it came to something as insignificant as pizza. There must have been a reason it was so important to her and his chest ached with the pure desire of needing to know why.</p><p>Percy pursed his lips and glanced at the top receipt, willing himself to be cool and focus. “Nope. Receipt says large cheese.”</p><p>“It must be the wrong receipt, then.”</p><p>“Apartment 305, right?”</p><p>She nodded, unshaken. Percy was struck by the fact she was far more beautiful than he’d remembered. Her beauty didn’t change the fact that he was right, though, and he wasn’t going to let her shake him either. At least not visibly.</p><p>“Large cheese, see for yourself,” he repeated, and held the receipt out for her.</p><p>The scowl she wore deepened, and she didn’t hesitate to walk straight up to him and lean in to read the receipt. He had expected her to take it from him, not stand there, mere inches away, as her stormy eyes narrowed at the small slip of paper and her lips twitched while she read. Percy forced himself to stay completely still, trying to ignore the part of his mind that screamed about those golden curls finally being within his reach or the faint scent of lemon that clung to her – pure, sweet citrus exactly like the scent that filled the air on summer days when the city heat turned stifling and his mom made a pitcher of fresh blue lemonade, not the pungent, musky imitation often used in perfumes and colognes.</p><p>He forced himself to swallow down his nerves, stay calm. “See.”</p><p>“That–” she started, and stopped when she straightened up. They were only a few inches apart and she seemed surprised by their proximity. He realized she hadn’t meant to get so close, had been too focused on her goal to notice. His eyes flickered to her lips unbidden and he really hoped she didn’t notice. “That can’t be right. I ordered it myself,” she finished.</p><p>“I don’t take orders,” he told her with a shrug, returning the receipts to his pocket, relieved when she stepped back. “You’re going to have to call back.”</p><p>Her eye twitched in a way that was at once adorable and completely sexy, and Percy knew she was getting frustrated with him. “I’m already talking to you.”</p><p>Usually he would have been annoyed, and he still kind of was, but he was also charmed by how worked up and haughty she was. Percy admittedly had a thing for huffy, hot girls, so instead of putting on his best fake smile and placating her, he found himself pushing. “And like I said, I don’t take orders. They just pay me to deliver.”</p><p>“Delivery is customer service,” she told him, her words clipped and direct. It was so hard for him not to smile. “You should be doing everything you can to get me my food in a timely matter.”</p><p>“Listen,” he said, trying not to laugh. Pushing her buttons was a little thrilling, and he knew it was wrong, but he wanted to get a reaction out of her, if only as an excuse to draw this encounter out a little longer. And maybe, he thought, make her remember him. “I’ve got two more deliveries to make before I head back to the parlor. It’ll be faster for everyone if you call, including you. That way your pizza will be ready for me to deliver by the time I get back and I won’t have to leave those other two customers hanging any longer than I already have.”</p><p>He knew he’d made a point she couldn’t refute when, instead of continuing to argue, she asked, “Is anyone else working deliveries tonight?”</p><p>“Yep.”</p><p>“Good,” she said lightly, her chin raised ever so slightly, as if this was a victory. His eyes flickered over her neck, extended from the tilt of her head, and his tongue automatically wet his lips. She, thankfully, didn’t seem to notice this either. “I’ll make sure to ask they send someone else.”</p><p>“You do that,” he replied, the chuckle he’d been holding in escaping. The smile he’d been fighting off pulled at his lips too, Percy absolutely tickled by the way she snapped at him. It was obnoxious, entitled, and God he was so pleasantly surprised to find out she wasn’t just some shy, sweet, perfect student – she was fiery and <i>real</i>, the snarky way she’d caught their professor that time apparently not a fluke. “Have a great night,” he told her, truly hoping she did, that she called and got the right pizza delivered by one of the other drivers, and that, even if out of sheer frustration, he filled her thoughts for the rest of the night the way she’d inexplicably filled his for years.</p><p>Once back in his car, he was kicking himself a little for the encounter. He’d once again failed to get her name. Technically he now knew where she lived, and he could get her phone number from her order, but using that information would be creepy. That would be crossing a line. No, he’d have to find her another way. It would be near impossible, he knew, but in the wake of that single conversation he also knew he’d go to the ends of the Earth to make it happen.</p><p>The next morning, when Percy walked out of Coach Hedge’s office to start his class for the semester, still not entirely sure what he was going to have them do that morning, he realized there would be no need. Fate had handed his stupid ass yet another opportunity. He wasn’t going to screw it up again.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Churros</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this accompanies events in chapter 46, but contains spoilers for chapter 47! i know that sounds weird, but i promise i makes sense.</p><p>shout out to No2Ticonderoga who gave me the idea to write the boys' side of things when they came out to the ocean to see piper and annabeth! it kind of took on a life of its own when i sat down to write it. this is also the quickest turn around from idea, to written, to published i've ever done, so it's not quite as polished as most other content is, but i enjoyed delving a little into jason for it and hope you also enjoy his perspective on a few things.</p><p>there maaaay be another conversations update coming along with chapter 48, too. 👀</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Jason wasn’t entirely sure what to do with himself Friday morning when Piper left with Annabeth for their day of adventuring together. Piper had told him to make himself at home, but that wasn’t an easy thing for him to do in a new place, with unfamiliar people. After she’d disappeared, he’d decided to stick around her bedroom, work on some homework or something.</p><p>Unfortunately Jason got restless pretty quick. He knew Piper thought he was very studious, but Jason tended to struggle focusing on school work when he was working alone. At home he usually studied with Frank, and over the years he’d made a habit of joining study groups so he always had other people to help him focus. Lately he’d been getting his work done more effectively than ever, mostly because he would go to Piper’s and spend his time studying with her and Annabeth. </p><p>He’d always thought having a girlfriend would be distracting, and it would be a lie to say Piper wasn’t a distraction sometimes, but the last couple months Jason had discovered her presence in his life also made even the most annoying of tasks a little more palatable. Getting his <i>Comparative Politics</i> reading done wasn’t as boring when he could reward himself every few paragraphs by glancing up at Piper to watch her scribbling on note cards. Writing an essay on multinational corporations seemed significantly easier when he could vent to her about whatever unethical business practices he was supposed to think were great in the name of profits and watch her nose cutely scrunch in distaste.</p><p>All this was stupidly cheesy, but Jason didn’t care. He had spent almost four whole years dreading any time he opened a text book. He would take whatever enjoyment he could get.</p><p>When Jason finally decided to give up on homework for the time being, he wasn’t sure what to do with himself. Percy was probably out in the house somewhere. Will was, too. Neither of them would begrudge Jason’s company, he figured, even if it might be a little awkward. Tristan and Naomi were also home somewhere, but Jason figured that would be <i>extremely</i> awkward. Instead of facing awkwardness, Jason found himself just wandering around Piper’s room.</p><p>It was large for a bedroom, even bigger than Jason’s at the tower – Piper had a king sized bed, three book shelves, a giant accent chair, a desk and a vanity, and even with all that there was still plenty of space to walk around comfortably. Most of Jason’s attention was focused on the personal touches that Piper hadn’t taken with her to New York: framed photos, knick knacks and copious amounts of stuffed animals. The accent chair was covered in stuffed toys, impossible to sit on because of how high they were stacked. Two nights before the unicorn and pizza slice Annabeth had won back at JFK had been added to the pile and Jason wondered how many of the other plushies had also been prizes given to Piper by Annabeth.</p><p>More interesting than stuffed animals, or even the knick knacks, were the photos. There were dozens of them, in single frames displayed on shelves, her desk and vanity, hanging from a clothes line with fairy lights above Piper’s headboard, even in a giant collage in her walk-in closet. Over half of them were either including Annabeth or of her alone. The rest looked like they were of other friends and former classmates. One, Jason assumed, was of Piper’s mother, though Piper had never told him about her. She was a beautiful woman. While Piper looked so much like Tristan it was ridiculous, Jason could see in just that one picture how much of her beauty had been inherited from her mother.</p><p>About to give up, bite the bullet and go look for the other two guys, Jason was stopped short when he stumbled upon a picture displayed in what Jason could only assume was once a place of great honor, on Piper’s desk. It was of her and Annabeth both, behind thick metal bars, cowering in a corner. The two of them looked about fifteen. Piper’s hair was much shorter than she kept it now, with random strands of braids mixed into especially choppy layers, like she’d cut it herself. Annabeth’s hair was tied back into a pony tail, more or less unchanged over the years, save for the fact it was an actual bush of golden blonde frizz behind her head. Seeing them like that, so different from the two women he knew, but also so much the same, made him smile despite the mildly terrifying overall content of the image.</p><p>He needed to know more, so Jason took the frame in hand and left Piper’s room. There was only one person who could help Jason with his sudden curiosity, so he decided to embrace the awkward and went in search of Tristan McLean. They’d said about five words to each other since Jason had arrived Wednesday night, but Jason bit back the nervousness he felt at the prospect of approaching his girlfriend’s father and knocked on the door frame of Tristan’s open home office door.</p><p>“Hey,” Tristan greeted warmly, looking up from a script he was reading. Jason had seen enough of those in his own mother’s hands to recognize them on sight.</p><p>“Hey,” Jason replied, the word embarrassingly strangled. He powered through. “Am I interrupting?”</p><p>Tristan closed the script and tossed it on his desk, giving Jason a wide and welcoming smile. “Not at all. What can I help you with?”</p><p>“I wondered if you knew what this was from,” Jason said, stepping into the office and approaching Tristan’s desk. He handed the framed photo over and then took a seat in one of the arm chairs opposite Tristan, sitting stiffly, shoulders squared and head held high.</p><p>Gingerly, Tristan took the photo and looked it over. The smile he wore slowly transformed into something softer, a mix of nostalgia and sadness Jason didn’t quite understand. “It was taken at the old LA zoo, Griffith Park. I think it was the summer before they started high school? They went there almost every day for weeks. I was overseas filming <i>King of Sparta</i> that summer, but I made sure the House Manager would give me daily updates about what the girls were up to. He didn’t think it was a very appropriate use of their time and kept suggesting I tell Piper to find something more suitable for a young lady of her status, whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.”</p><p>It was a big chunk of information, but Jason found himself hanging on every word. He wondered if Piper knew what Tristan had just said, that he’d been aware of and invested in what Piper had been doing even when he’d been working in another country. Even more, that he’d defended her interests against the judgment of outsiders, rather than bowing to the pressure and trying to shape her into someone she wasn’t. Jason doubted she did.</p><p>“I’ll admit, I never really understood their obsession with the place myself,” Tristan continued, his smile growing wider as he handed the photo back across the desk to Jason. “They always had places like that, though. The next summer it was Disneyland, which made more sense to me, at least. Actually–” Tristan paused, turning around in his chair and looking over a few things displayed behind his desk. He picked up a small frame and then faced Jason again to pass it over. “Don’t tell them I showed you this, but it was always one of my favorites.”</p><p>Surprised and confused, Jason took the small picture Tristan offered him. Both girls were in it, and it was clearly taken at Disneyland because they were posed with Minnie Mouse. Alone that might not have been particularly incriminating, but Jason could tell why Piper and Annabeth wouldn’t want it seen. They were completely decked out in Disney park gear, from the big mouse ears, to their brightly colored matching shorts, to the bags slung over their shoulders and even their shoes. Each of them held a half eaten churro in hand. Neither of them would be ashamed of enjoying a trip to Disneyland, he knew, but the pure Disney brand saturation would undoubtedly have them cringing from embarrassment.</p><p>They were adorable, glowing with genuine happiness, both of them exceptionally beautiful even back then, and even in those neon Disneyland shorts. Jason actually felt a tiny pang of envy looking at them – he doubted all the pictures from his own teen years combined held even a fraction of the joy exhibited in this one image. He also doubted either of his parents would keep such a picture at their desk, or talk about the story surrounding it so fondly.</p><p>“Thank you for showing me,” Jason said, handing the photo back over.</p><p>Tristan stared at the photo for a few more seconds, his expression still bittersweet, then returned it to its spot behind his desk. “Have… have you and Piper been dating long?”</p><p>Jason tensed, anxious about where this conversation might be heading. “It’s been a little over a month,” he answered, trying to sit straighter in his seat. Even though he knew Piper and her dad weren’t close, Tristan’s approval was still immensely important to him.</p><p>“She seems happy,” Tristan replied, his gaze growing a little distant. “I’m glad she brought you this weekend. It was nice meeting you, seeing the two of you together.”</p><p>Guilt made Jason’s chest ache a little. He liked to think he made Piper happy, and he definitely tried to, but just the night before he had selfishly added to what had already been a very difficult day for her by unloading what he’d quickly realized were ridiculous insecurities. He wanted to make it up to her, but he wasn’t sure what he could do while they were there in Malibu, and especially because he didn’t want to interrupt what he understood was a special day with Annabeth.</p><p>“She makes me happy, too,” Jason told Tristan, glancing back down at the creepy picture in his hands, the one that had brought him to Tristan’s office, and feeling those words in his bones. Piper did make him happy, a kind of fundamental happiness Jason had never imagined was possible, something he felt even when she wasn’t around, and even on otherwise bad days. “Thank you again. I’ll let you get back to your work.”</p><p>Another warm smile pulled at Tristan’s lips. “Door’s always open for you, Jason.”</p><p>It wasn’t until he was halfway back upstairs that the idea struck Jason, his eyes still stuck to the strange picture in his hands. He hesitated, unsure of the plan beginning to take form in his mind. Pulling it off would mean interfering with Piper and Annabeth’s day, but it would also be something for both of them, and he hoped it would only add to the enjoyment of their trip down memory lane. They might think it was intrusive, though, like he was butting in where he didn’t belong. If it was something they wanted to do, they were perfectly capable of doing it themselves.</p><p>He made it all the way to Piper’s bedroom door before he decided he needed a second opinion and turned straight around. Percy could have been anywhere in the house, but Jason decided to start with the room Percy and Annabeth were sharing. Knocking a few times, Jason stood back and waited to see if he’d get a response. A minute later Percy was answering the door, bleary eyed and bedheaded even though it was early afternoon. “What’s goin’ on?”</p><p>“I had an idea I wanted to run by you,” Jason said, holding up the photo he was still carting around.</p><p>Percy stared at it for a few seconds, head tilted curiously to one side, and then he stepped aside to invite Jason into the room. “Please, join me in my lair.”</p><p>“Were you napping?” Jason asked as he entered the room, which was also more spacious than most bedrooms, but much smaller than Piper’s. It also lacked all the personal touches which made Piper’s room seem so homey, though the mess of Percy’s clothes already scattered on the floor gave it a special flare. Jason had a feeling Percy would get an earful from Annabeth about that when she got back.</p><p>Stretching, Percy nodded. “I like napping after I work out, but I don’t usually get to. What’s that picture, though?”</p><p>“It’s from when Piper and Annabeth were fourteen or fifteen,” Jason answered, handing the frame off so Percy could get a proper look at it. “Tristan told me they took it at some place in LA they used to love going to. An old zoo, I think he said?”</p><p>“Look at these little weirdos,” Percy said fondly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. The smile Percy wore was more or less the same Jason was sure he’d been wearing looking at it and the other photo back in Tristan’s office. “God, even fifteen year old me would have been crazy about Annabeth. That’s just not fair.”</p><p>Fifteen year old Jason would have probably been just as enamored with Piper, but he decided not to make the confession. “I was thinking maybe we could take them out there tonight, pack a picnic or something.”</p><p>“Will they be done with the <i>top secret best friend stuff</i> in time?” Percy asked, looking back up at Jason from the picture.</p><p>“I’m not sure,” Jason admitted. “I’m also not sure if they’d like it. I don’t want to impose on their time together or anything, but it also might be a nice addition to whatever it is they’ve been doing all day.”</p><p>“Nah, they’d like it,” Percy assured Jason, so full of easy confidence Jason was impressed. That wasn’t something Jason could relate to. Without another word, Percy started looking around the bed in search of something. Locating his phone buried in the comforter, Percy tapped away for a few seconds and then held his phone over the photo Jason had brought in to take some snapshots of it. </p><p>Jason waited a few more seconds, but Percy went back to tapping away at his phone without saying anything else. “So, should we do it?”</p><p>“Already looking up how to get there,” Percy answered, which made Jason laugh – and then he was surprised by his own laugh, how easily it had come and how natural it had felt. “Apparently it closes at sunset, and it’s about an hour drive. We’re going to have to leave in a couple hours at the latest if we’re going to make it in time to actually do anything there.”</p><p>Those were not things Jason had considered. He wasn’t even sure if the girls were back yet from wherever it had been they’d walked off to earlier. “I guess we’ll have to wait and see when they get back.”</p><p>“Well,” Percy started, tossing his phone back to the bed beside him and holding the frame up to Jason, “I’m going to get in more of that nap. Find me when they get back and we’ll figure out if we have enough time?”</p><p>“Sure thing,” Jason agreed.</p><p>Making a detour to return the inspirational (and creepy) photo back where it belonged, Jason decided to head down to the kitchen to try and figure out what he might be able to put together for a picnic. Jason was only marginally better in the kitchen than he knew Piper and Annabeth were, and while that wasn’t saying much, he did trust himself to at least maybe put together some sandwiches. Naomi must have had a sixth sense for when someone was in her kitchen, though, because as soon as Jason opened the refrigerator she walked in and asked, “Can I fix you anything, hun?”</p><p>Feeling a little like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Jason straightened up and swiftly shut the fridge. “No, it’s okay. I was just seeing if there was anything we could pack up for a picnic.”</p><p>“When are you leaving?” Naomi asked, rounding the kitchen counter and opening a drawer. Jason watched her grab a few knives and a cutting board, then she was shooing him away from the fridge so she could open it and start grabbing fruit.</p><p>“We aren’t sure yet,” he admitted, once he’d overcome his stunned silence. “Percy and I are going to ask Pi–”</p><p>Jason was unable to finish the sentence, because just then Piper and Annabeth rounded into the kitchen at top speed. Just in time he managed to dodge Piper, who shouted, “Sorry! Love you!” and then disappeared out the back door with Annabeth quick on her heels. He stared after them, yet again stunned into silence, before turning back to Naomi.</p><p>She was wearing a smile as she glanced over her shoulder at the backdoor. “I guess you’ll have to go get Percy. Don’t worry about the food. I think I have plenty in there I can pack up for y’all to take.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Jason replied, though he wished he could think of a better way to express how much he appreciated that help. Left to his own devices he probably would have ditched the picnic idea entirely and ended up just suggesting they stop for food along the way instead.</p><p>Convincing Percy to wake up again so soon took an ungodly amount of work, but it was worth it. Soon the two of them were heading out to the beach to find out what the girls were up to and ask them to meet by the car in an hour for their surprise, hopeful they’d have plenty of time to make it out to Griffith Park and enjoy their picnic along with a little sightseeing. Neither Jason nor Percy were prepared for what they found down at the beach, though. </p><p>Clothes were strewn all along the water’s edge, just out of reach of the tide, not just shorts and t-shirts, but two sets of underwear as well. Jason had seen Piper get dressed that morning, which meant he knew which set belonged to her. Unfortunately that put him in the uncomfortable position of also knowing which set belonged to <i>Annabeth</i> and really he would have been fine living his life without ever having seen Annabeth’s underwear. That also put him in the uncomfortable position of knowing that out there in the water Piper and Annabeth were both butt naked.</p><p>“Okay, yeah. This was definitely worth waking up for,” Percy announced, arms crossed over his chest, as he stared out at the distant forms of Piper and Annabeth in the water.</p><p>“What are they doing?” Jason asked, feeling heat begin to pool in his cheeks as he was unable to take his eyes off the girls, who had clearly spotted the guys, too, and were inching closer to each other.</p><p>Percy snorted a laugh. “We mere mortals call this skinny dipping, Grace.”</p><p>“Shut up,” Jason retorted, refusing to admit there was a smile pulling at his lips. “You know what I mean.”</p><p>“Should we join them, then?” Percy asked, and Jason finally snapped his head away from the ocean just for the sake of staring at Percy incredulously. “What? Why not?”</p><p>There were so many reasons, Jason didn’t even know where to begin. Mostly it was the being naked in front of Percy and Annabeth, yes, but there were other reasons, too. Probably. If he thought about it for a minute or two he was sure he’d think of plenty. “Just, no.”</p><p>With a sigh of exasperation Jason assumed was for ruining Percy’s fun, Percy looked out over the water and shouted, “What the hell are you doing?” Jason heaved a sigh of his own. That was the question he’d <i>just</i> asked, and the question Percy had <i>just</i> given him shit for.</p><p>“I told you, top secret best friend stuff!” Annabeth didn’t even hesitate to shout back.</p><p>“Why do they need to be naked for top secret best friend stuff?” Percy asked, cocking his head to the side to look at Jason.</p><p>Jason shrugged. That was a question he, too, would like the answer to. “How would I know?”</p><p>“You’re naked!” Percy decided to shout back to the girls, which Jason didn’t think was particularly helpful.</p><p>The girls didn’t respond immediately, seeming to go back to conspiring, so Jason took the opportunity to try and hash out at least some kind of plan with Percy. “How should we get them to come with us?”</p><p>“Threaten to take their clothes unless they comply,” Percy answered with unsettling ease.</p><p>“We can’t take their clothes,” Jason objected, honestly a little surprised Percy would even suggest it.</p><p>Percy rolled his eyes so hard his entire head moved with the effort. “We wouldn’t actually take their clothes, and I’d hope they both know us well enough to know we wouldn’t. I mean, I’d maybe take Annabeth’s panties, but that’s something else entirely.”</p><p>“Thank you for that,” Jason said, because he’d only just managed to get the idea of Annabeth’s underwear out of his own head. Percy did have a point, though. They didn’t need to actually intend on taking any clothes to make the threat, and he did trust Piper would be confident enough in who he was that she wouldn’t actually feel coerced into agreeing to a date because of it. After a couple more seconds of thought, Jason took a deep breath and shouted, “We’ll cut you a deal!”</p><p>“Let’s hear it, Grace!” Piper called back.</p><p>“Your clothes will not be confiscated!” Jason told her, the rush of even making such a suggestion bringing a smile to his face. That alone was quite possibly the craziest thing Jason had ever done in his adult life – maybe even in his entire life. Letting loose felt good. Knowing he was safe to let loose with the three of them, that felt even better. “In return, you’ll agree to meet us out at the rental car in an hour!”</p><p>“Nicely done, Grace,” Percy said for just Jason to hear.</p><p>The smile Jason wore grew wider. “Thanks, Jackson.”</p><p>After a minute of deliberation, Annabeth shouted their reply. “Two hours!”</p><p>“One and a half!” Percy shot back, without even needing to discuss with Jason. They both knew two hours was going to leave them with next to no time. Even the hour and a half was pushing it, but they did want to respect what Piper and Annabeth needed for the plans they’d already made. This was about making their day even better, not commandeering it.</p><p>Another handful of seconds passed while the girls discussed, and then Piper replied, “Deal! Now get lost!”</p><p>“Yeah, get lost creeps!” Annabeth added, though the lightness of her voice even while yelling made Jason think she was getting a kick out of the whole exchange.</p><p>Percy was all smiles as he replied, “Takes one to know one!”</p><p>Probably they could have gone back and forth like that forever, so Jason decided to bring the discussion to an end. “See you in an hour and a half!”</p><p>They had preparations to make, and Jason wanted to help Naomi with the picnic at least a little, so he and Percy didn’t waste any more time on the beach. As they made the short trip back up to the house, the smile on Jason’s face was unfading. He was excited about what they had planned. He was also a little surprised by himself, and hopeful the day might have a few more surprises in store.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. M&Ms</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>the events that led to this were basically, me thinking they should watch the movie because annabeth thought about how she wanted to, then thinking about them watching the movie made ME want to watch the movie, then, as i was watching it, i started jotting down dialog ideas to insert into chapter 48. it was very self-indulgent, but at the end there was so much that it seemed worth writing up fully to put here!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>One of the only things Piper had ever truly loved about the house in Malibu was the home movie theater built into the basement level.</p><p>Compared to actual, public movie theaters, the screen was small, but at 150 inches it was much larger than any standard TV and completely state of the art. There were three levels of seating – the first a sprawling sectional sofa with ottomans and enough space to comfortably seat ten people, the second two with five matching individual recliners each, totaling enough space for twenty people. A counter at the back of the room provided a popcorn machine, a generous selection of theater candy, and a soda fountain, all of which Tristan McLean kept meticulously well stocked for any time he entertained.</p><p>When, late Saturday afternoon, as everyone was lazing around the house together, Annabeth pulled out her battered and bruised copy of <i>Howl’s Moving Castle</i> from the time capsule to read and Percy said, “Hey, isn’t that a movie or something?” a horrible discovery had been made. None of the boys had seen the movie. Will thought he’d maybe seen it once, but couldn’t be sure, and then decided he hadn’t when Annabeth started to describe the premise. Jason had never even heard of it.</p><p>Piper quickly moved to rectify the situation by dragging everyone down to that wonderful home theater, not that it really took much work or convincing.</p><p>With the room full of the scent of freshly popped popcorn, each of them laden down with snacks, the five of them settled together on the couch. Piper might have worried Will would feel like a fifth wheel, but he seemed unbothered by the two couples sitting cuddled up on either side of him. In fact, with his feet propped up on an ottoman and a box of Sour Skittles in his hand, he seemed completely at ease. They’d been having fun all day, keeping up with relatively comfortable conversation while they all worked on homework. Whether it was just Will’s nature or because he fit in well with the group, Piper still wasn’t sure, but she definitely enjoyed having him around.</p><p>As the opening credits rolled and the opening scenes played, Annabeth had one of the biggest grins on her face Piper had ever seen. She was tucked in against Percy’s side, popcorn between them and a box of M&amp;Ms in her hands. Every few minutes she poured some of the candy into her palm and held it up for him. With fascination, Piper watched Percy pick only the blue ones from Annabeth’s hand before Annabeth dumped the rest unceremoniously in her mouth.</p><p>“When was this movie made?” Jason asked, bringing Piper’s attention back to the film.</p><p>She was about to answer with something unhelpful like, a long time ago, but Annabeth beat her to the punch. “It first released in Japan in 2004, but the US release was in 2005.”</p><p>Jason nodded, but didn’t have time to make any other comment, because as soon as Howl spoke his first line, in a wonderfully predictable fashion, Percy announced, “That’s Batman.” Piper couldn’t help laughing as Annabeth rolled her eyes.</p><p>“Yes, Christian Bale does Howl’s voice,” Annabeth confirmed, holding out another palm full of M&amp;Ms for Percy to pick the blue ones out of. He looked quite pleased, though whether it was because he was correct about the voice or because of the M&amp;Ms, Piper had no idea.</p><p>All three of the guys fell silent after, seeming just as captivated by the magic of Sophie and Howl’s first meeting as either Piper or Annabeth were. It wasn’t until after the Witch of the Waste had appeared and cast her spell that Will finally observed, “She is awfully calm about this whole old age curse thing.”</p><p>“Seriously,” Piper agreed, something she’d always thought when watching the movie. “I would have at the very least let out a blood curdling scream or two.”</p><p>“You would have chased that witch down and stabbed her through the heart,” Annabeth replied with a laugh. That was true enough, and Piper nodded, proud her best friend thought so highly of her.</p><p>More than the movie, Piper found herself watching her friends, interested in their reactions. Jason especially took her attention, and she noticed after several minutes he had a profound frown on his lips. It was explained when he finally said, “Sophie seems really down on herself.” The observation and his clear frustration over it was so adorable Piper couldn’t help planting a kiss on his cheek.</p><p>“Turnip Head sounds like something you’d call me,” Percy said a minute or two later, dropping another blue M&amp;M in his mouth and grinning, when Sophie had coined the name for her scarecrow companion.</p><p>Annabeth looked delighted by the accusation. “Turnip Head <i>is</i> a great name, but you’re more of a… Seaweed Brain.”</p><p>“It suits you,” Jason agreed, and without hesitation, Percy started lobbing popcorn at Jason. The attack was reciprocated and the ensuing battle lasted for several minutes, all through Sophie’s first meeting with Calcifer and Markl. The airy texture of popcorn didn’t make for very effective projectiles, so soon they switched to their candy instead. They only stopped when Annabeth was pegged in the forehead by a Sour Patch Kid and looked at them both with such venom it was a miracle they didn’t wither and die right there on the couch.</p><p>The boys settled, and Annabeth returned her gaze to the screen just in time for what Piper knew was one of her favorite scenes. “God, he’s hot when he’s cooking,” she sighed, laying her head back on Percy’s shoulder as she stared at the screen dreamily.</p><p>“I can make eggs and bacon,” Percy replied, a childishly jealous whine in his voice, as if he genuinely felt threatened by Annabeth’s opinion of the cartoon character.</p><p>“Make me eggs and bacon and maybe I’ll think you’re hot, too,” Annabeth said with a shrug, offering up another palm full of M&amp;Ms. Percy took the blue ones from her, but the disgruntled look on his face didn’t waiver.</p><p>It seemed like quietly enjoying the movie was not in the cards for this group, though none of them were particularly bothered by the fact, because it wasn’t long before Piper spoke up again to ask, “What could that kid possibly be hiding, he’s like ten?”</p><p>“Dirty magazines,” Percy answered without hesitation.</p><p>The look of horror on Piper’s face was reflected on Annabeth’s when Jason agreed, “Definitely dirty magazines.”</p><p>“<i>He’s like ten</i>,” Piper repeated, looking between both Jason and Percy, then to Will.</p><p>Will shrugged. “They’re right, it’s probably dirty magazines.”</p><p>“You’re all a bunch of perverts,” Piper told them, something that surprised her to say. Usually Piper was the one being called a pervert, especially while watching movies with Annabeth. The guys just laughed.</p><p>Some of the natural merriment went out of the group as Howl returned to the castle in his feathered form, reporting what he’d seem from the war. It continued as Sophie went shopping with Markl and saw the warship overhead. One of the things Piper had come to appreciate more about the film as she’d matured were the anti-war sentiments, and she wondered what it would be like to watch it for the first time as an adult who could fully appreciate the gravity of those themes. So much of it had been lost on her when she was younger. From the thoughtful, almost troubled, expressions on Jason, Percy and Will’s faces, those things were not lost on them now.</p><p>It wasn’t until Howl appeared with the towel around his waist that the mood lightened again, thanks to Percy keenly observing, “You can see his butt crack.”</p><p>“Called the spirits of darkness because a girl dumped him,” Will added a few seconds later with a scoff. “What a drama queen.”</p><p>“He actually looks so much hotter with black hair, though,” Annabeth offered, frowning at Howl’s pitiful state as if it hurt her to see him suffer. As a teenager Annabeth had been almost as crazy about Howl as Piper had been about Joe Jonas. Apparently she still burned a candle for him, and that was just plain adorable to Piper.</p><p>Again, Percy became ridiculously defensive as soon as the words had left Annabeth’s mouth. “I have black hair.”</p><p>“You do,” Annabeth confirmed, her concern for Howl dissolving as her amusement mounted over the way Percy huffed and grumbled, pouting too hard to even make a snide remark about Howl’s towel falling off while Sophie carried him up the stairs.</p><p>Action continued to build, the group remaining mostly focused on watching as Sophie started her journey to the castle, aside from the boys all getting excited about the first appearance of the dog. It made her happy to see them all getting so into it, enjoying the movie, and the different ways they expressed that interest. Jason was mostly silent, giving his full attention to the screen aside from the occasional remarks, usually complaining about Sophie’s lack of self-esteem. Percy was the opposite – showing how invested he was by putting all his thoughts to words. Will’s interest was also expressed generally silently, though Piper noticed his face alight with a different emotion in response to what was happening every time she looked at him.</p><p>Piper was the next one to speak up, chiming in with an affectionate, “Sophie is so cute, actually being nice to that witch who cursed her.” Everyone else was too wrapped up in what was happening on screen to add to Piper’s observation, but she noticed Jason nodding enthusiastically.</p><p>While Piper had already been sure the guys were all invested in the movie, it still made her happy when they hooped and hollered at Sophie’s enthusiastic speech and the way she returned to her proper age while in the midst of it. Gasps were let out all around at the two kings, and then again when Howl revealed himself. Annabeth and Piper both laughed at the strong reactions. All three guys were pretty adorable, in their own little ways.</p><p>“‘You saved me, Sophie,’” Annabeth finally said, as Howl spoke the same words, and then she let out a blissful sigh. A grin spread across Percy’s face and he pressed a kiss to the side of Annabeth’s head. Apparently that was nothing for him to be jealous of.</p><p>Only once the brunt of the scene’s action had passed did Percy speak up again, yet again easing the tension that had built with the action on screen. “That old witch’s nose looks like a dick.” </p><p>Everyone turned their heads to look at Percy then, but it was Jason who replied with an incredulous, “I don’t know about yours, but that is definitely not what mine looks like.”</p><p>“And thank God,” Piper mumbled under her breath.</p><p>“I didn’t say it looks like <i>mine</i>,” Percy replied, glaring across the couch at Jason. Again Piper noticed Annabeth struggling to smother a smile, her shoulders beginning to shake with stifled laughter. “It looks like a wrinkly old man dick.”</p><p>Jason’s eyes sparkled at the reaction he’d gotten out of Percy. “Got a lot of experience with wrinkly old man dick, Jackson?”</p><p>“It’s what I <i>imagine</i> wrinkly old man dick would look like,” Percy clarified.</p><p>“So what you’re saying is you spend a lot of time imagining wrinkly old man dick,” Jason lobbed back, and Piper had a feeling Jason would only become more brazen as Percy became more defensive.</p><p>Percy opened his mouth to say something else, but Annabeth shoved some popcorn into it and he got the message to drop the subject. For about ten seconds. When the Witch of the Waste appeared again, he immediately shouted, “It looks like a dick!” and everyone burst out laughing.</p><p>“Howl is a big baby, but he’s so romantic,” Piper observed, once they had all managed to calm down enough to notice the sweet things Howl had prepared for Sophie during Calcifer’s move of the castle. Annabeth nodded in agreement, her expression a strange blend of smile and pout.</p><p>That pout was accompanied by Annabeth whining, “Don’t go, Howl.”</p><p>While Annabeth’s sentimentality was no surprise, it was definitely a surprise to Piper when Jason whispered a minute or so later, “Yeah, Sophie, you’re beautiful.” That adorable little comment earned him a proper kiss on the lips. He looked surprised by it, but she didn’t explain herself, just patted his cheek and turned his face back toward the screen.</p><p>No one spoke again for a while, as the action once again picked up. Done with their popcorn and candy, Piper noticed Annabeth had taken Percy’s hand, their fingers threaded. Likewise, Piper had relaxed herself comfortably against Jason, but he was still working on his Sour Patch Kids.</p><p>“She sure didn’t try very hard to convince Sophie to go with her,” Will said, the first time he’d spoken up in a while, upon the visit from Sophie’s mother. There was a genuine twinge of sadness in his voice, and Piper found herself wondering, not for the first time that day, how much he might have struggled over the years with his own mom running off for work. When they found out why Sophie had been so easily disregarded a couple minutes later, he grumbled an added, “Well that sucks.”</p><p>One of the greatest consolations for Piper during that heartbreaking exchange was, of course, the follow up between Sophie and Markl. It didn’t matter that Sophie’s mom sucked. She’d found better people. “‘We’re a family now,’” Annabeth spoke along with the dialog again, as taken with the sentiment as Piper always was, holding hers and Percy’s hands to her chest.</p><p>The sweet moment didn’t last, because almost immediately the Witch of the Waste appeared again and Jason said, “Okay, yeah, it kind of looks like a dick.”</p><p>Annabeth rolled her eyes, Percy shouted, “Fuck off, Grace,” and Will cackled in amusement, but just as quickly as the outburst started they were all silenced by the sudden dropping of bombs on the hat shop. The boys became too wrapped up in the excitement to bicker any further after that.</p><p>While she didn’t say any more lines out loud, Piper noticed Annabeth mouthing along to a couple more, holding Percy’s hand against her lips as if to hide behind it. He didn’t seem to mind at all, grinning despite the intensity of the scenes they were watching. They were so adorable Piper could hardly stand it, and she knew without any doubt that Percy was as clearly in love with Annabeth as Annabeth was with him. </p><p>Piper could understand Annabeth’s hesitation to admit her feelings, knew it probably terrified her when the last time she had thought she was in love had been such a disaster. Maybe Piper wouldn’t push this time. The two of them would come to their senses soon enough, in their own ways and their own times – though Piper got the distinct impression Percy was already well aware of his own feelings. It spoke to both his character and the sincerity of his budding love that he seemed to be holding his tongue while Annabeth clearly wasn’t ready.</p><p>“If I eat your hair will I become strong enough to move a house?” Percy finally asked, leaning down to bite at the curls draped over Annabeth’s shoulder. The question was ignored, Annabeth shoving him off with a shrug, and Piper nuzzled into Jason’s shoulder as she fought off the urge to yell at them for being so cute.</p><p>From then on events moved too quickly in the film for many substantial comments to be made. Mostly the guys shouted randomly at the screen. Annabeth continued to cling to Percy, almost as entranced by the magic and romance as the three who’d never seen the movie before. No matter how many times they watched this movie, Annabeth always reacted with the same innocent fascination she’d possessed on their very first viewing. Honestly, Fredrick Chase robbing Annabeth of this experience for so long was just another item on the long list of reasons Piper absolutely abhorred him. It had been a while since they’d sat down together to watch, though, and Piper was thankful to thirteen year old Annabeth for putting that book in the time capsule and inspiring them to watch it again.</p><p>By the time Percy shouted, “Turnip Head was the missing prince!” the groups silence had dragged on so long Piper was almost startled to hear a voice that wasn’t coming out of the speakers.</p><p>“Are you a missing prince, too, Seaweed Brain?” Annabeth asked, her eyes bright with amusement at his enthusiastic response.</p><p>Percy wiggled his eyebrows. “Kiss me and find out.”</p><p>For a second Piper thought Annabeth might actually do it, but instead she hummed and turned away to focus on the conclusion of their movie. “Maybe later.”</p><p>“That sucks, dude,” Jason said, the smile he wore wide and shamelessly mocking. Percy reached into the empty popcorn bowl beside him and located an unpopped kernel to launch at Jason. They were so comfortable with each other now, any and all of their apprehension gone, as if it were never there to begin with, Piper almost couldn’t believe it.</p><p>Watching the final scenes was a little bittersweet, mostly because Piper had been enjoying sitting around watching with the four of them, but the bitter bits of her feelings were swept away when Will observed, “Sophie is just out there kissing <i>everyone</i> now.”</p><p>“She finally found some confidence and decided to kiss all the fellas,” Jason agreed, looking very pleased by the development of Sophie’s confidence, after all his comments on the subject earlier.</p><p>“Did you just unironically use the word <i>fellas</i>?” Percy asked, head tilted as he regarded Jason.</p><p>Jason was clearly not ashamed of his vocabulary. “I did, indeed.”</p><p>“You’re such a nerd,” Percy replied, throwing another unpopped popcorn kernel.</p><p>The credits were just beginning to roll, but none of them were bothered to move and Piper wasn’t about to suggest they end things there. In that basement room, with the arm of the man she loved around her shoulder, her best friend smiling more often and more easily than she ever would have thought possible, and a wonderful relationship beginning to develop with her new step-brother, Piper was happier than she ever remembered being in her childhood home. Apparently she wasn’t the only one enjoying this time together, because Will took the opportunity to ask them all what their favorite movies were.</p><p>As soon as the words <i>Space Jam</i> left Jason’s mouth, Percy screamed, “Hell yeah!” Piper did not hesitate to pull it up and hit play.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Strawberries</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>very similar to the earlier percy pov of their first make out session... except this time it's just smut. mostly done because chapter 55 is one of the longest chapters as it is, and including any version of this in it would have only ended up making it close to 10k. LOL. but it was admittedly a little fun to delve into percy's mind as they took this step.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I love you.”</p><p>Saying it was so freeing, Percy honestly stopped caring in that instant whether or not Annabeth would say it back. It was time for him to say it, time for her to know. Some part of him had been feeling it since the night of their first date, a terrifying and crazy little voice in the back of his head that had only grown louder with every passing day. He was confident the feeling was mutual, had been for weeks already, but he didn’t need her to say the words. That, of course, didn’t mean he didn’t want her to, and he was fairly certain she was right there with him.</p><p>Case in point was her responding smile. It was blinding, breathtaking. Percy had never seen anything as beautiful as <em>that smile</em>. She was a goddess and that smile was her true form, fully capable of turning any mere mortal to ash. That was how he’d felt the first time he’d seen her smile so unreservedly back in Malibu, as if he were going to crumble under the force of it, and he would have done so happily. A few times since then he’d seen it again – when she’d watched him win at the meet she attended, the night she’d met his mom and Estelle, and just earlier that morning when he’d first suggested they spend their day watching <em>Star Wars</em>.</p><p>“I know,” she whispered and that was all he could take – Percy kissed her.</p><p>He was happy to get lost in her lips, their movie completely forgotten. Later they’d have to go back and watch the end of <em>The Empire Strikes Back</em> again, because he really did love it. For now he didn’t care, too wrapped up in the arms of the <em>woman</em> he loved, the woman who loved him. Her lips were soft and hungry and he’d never wanted anything as much as he did that kiss, or the press of her body against his, the warmth that radiated off her. Annabeth Chase was a dream come true and he would have been content to just sit with her on that couch until the end of time.</p><p>“I’m tired of hands,” she breathed, pulling away just enough to speak and brush her thumb against his bottom lip. “I want this mouth.”</p><p>No words had ever so effectively spurred him into action. Years of squats were put to good use as he slipped his arms under her legs and stood. Annabeth laughed, her arms curling around his neck to hold on as he started down the hall and toward her bedroom. “I swear to God, if you drop me.”</p><p>“I would never,” Percy replied, and just to tease her for doubting him he pretended to lose her grip on her so she fell just an inch or two before he caught her again. The screech she let out and her subsequent laughter were music to his ears. There was no way he would ever let her fall and he was confident she knew that full well.</p><p>Annabeth kicked the door open for them, still laughing, and once again wearing that stunning smile. “You’re the worst.”</p><p>“And yet, you love me,” he said, amazed by how his heart flip flopped in his chest even just teasing her about it.</p><p>“I do,” she agreed, breathless in a way that made him think her heart was doing plenty of flip flopping of its own. “Now drop me in bed so I can take your clothes off.”</p><p>As much as he definitely wanted to do that, physically ached to do exactly as she wanted, Percy couldn’t help taking the opening she had given him to be difficult. He stopped just short of the bed, grinning at her. “I thought I wasn’t supposed to drop you.”</p><p>“Percy,” she said flatly, sobering up as much as was humanly possible considering their shared giddiness. The dangerous look in her eye sent a thrill through him. A few times already he had toed the line, playfully pushing her buttons and testing her patience, and he was sure he would continue to experiment with teasing her, but that was a game for another day.</p><p>He tossed her lightly onto the bed and wasted no time crawling in after her. The very first thing she did was tug his shirt off and he loved the way her eyes flashed, full of lust, as she tossed it aside. Annabeth was almost always trying to get his shirt off, or slip her hands under it. To be fair, they had that in common, because as soon as his was off he was grabbing at hers. Lucky for him she hadn’t bothered putting anything on underneath it, since they’d opted to stay in all day.</p><p>Annabeth leaned back on her elbows, her tongue sliding across her bottom lip as she looked at him. For a few seconds he just stared back, eyes trailing from her face, along the curve of her neck, to where her chest rose and fell sharply with anticipation. Maybe he was biased, but she really did have the most perfect breasts he had ever seen. An embarrassingly large portion of his days were usually spent thinking just about her breasts, the weight of them in his hands, the soft press of them against his body when they were curled up in bed together, the way her nipples felt against his tongue.</p><p>“I love you,” he told her again, emboldened now that the words were out in the open.</p><p>“I love you, too,” she replied, her breathing becoming increasingly uneven, a fact he noticed easily considering how fixated he was on her chest. Even though she’d so readily implied it earlier, and even though she’d confirmed it when he accused her of it, hearing the words said so plainly filled him with a kind of happiness he hadn’t anticipated.</p><p>All he could think about as he crushed his lips to hers again was how much he loved her. Her fingers were in his hair in a second, her legs wrapping around his hips. Resting on one arm, he slid his hand against her stomach, up toward those beautiful breasts he could never get enough of. As soon as he took one in hand, gave it a light squeeze, she moaned softly into the kiss and tugged encouragingly at his hair. Kissing her like that, her tongue teasing his, kneading her breast lazily, grinding down against for just a hint of relief to the growing ache in his pants, was almost enough to satisfy him, but her earlier words were a taunting echo in his mind.</p><p>When he finally dipped his head to begin trailing down her neck he was full of excitement over the prospect of how once he began his journey down her body he wasn’t going to have to stop – and, admittedly, over the prospect of what <em>her</em> mouth would soon be getting up to.</p><p>Her breath caught when he took one of her nipples into his mouth, a sound that always sent a rush of blood straight to his groin. It had been clear from the very first time that she enjoyed his appreciation of her breasts, so Percy had never bothered reigning himself in. Instead he did as he pleased, sucking, licking and teasing, switching between each nipple until her legs squirmed and her quiet moans turned pleading.</p><p>“I love you,” she breathed, the words only barely spoken before smiled against her and pinched her nipple between his teeth, turning the end of <em>you</em> into a wonderful little yelping sound.</p><p>Percy didn’t immediately reply, instead starting down her stomach. Annabeth’s skin was velvet soft and even though she hadn’t showered since the night before, the scent of her body wash clung to her subtly – strawberries baking in the summer sun, ripe and sweet. His hands traveled ahead of his mouth, down to her thighs. Most days she preferred sweat pants, but on Sundays, when it was just the two of them, she always chose shorts instead. Considering her thighs were as perfect as her breasts, Percy was pretty sure she did it just for the sake of keeping him on the edge of insanity. There in bed, though, it worked to his advantage, because his fingers trailed up the inside of her thighs, making her tremble.</p><p>Mouthing just above the waist band of her shorts, Percy paused and glanced up at her. She looked beautiful, sweat already beginning to shine against her skin, her lips parted and her eyes locked on him with heavy lidded anticipation. Even though she’d been entirely direct about her desires, not doubting himself was a challenge. This was not an easy step for her to take, he knew. At this moment of truth, it would be understandable if she had second thoughts, realized she wasn’t as ready as she thought she’d been while riding the high of that first love confession. There were no reservations in her eyes as he hooked his fingers into that waist band, though.</p><p>It amazed Percy how readily she trusted him. He didn’t feel worthy – not because she was so gorgeous, or so brilliant, or so passionately loving, or so wonderful just in general, but because such seemingly unconditional trust from someone who’d been through what she had experienced was entirely too humbling. Countless times already she had put her trust in him and there she was doing it again, lifting her hips off the mattress as he peeled her shorts and underwear away, the tiniest hint of a shy smile beginning to pull at her lips.</p><p>“I love you,” he told her again, pressing his lips to the inside of her thigh, heart pounding from the excitement that came with finally being able to kiss her there. The way her legs wriggled around him made a smile spread across his face and he nipped and licked at her skin as he inched his way up.</p><p>His eyes settled on her center first. He’d seen her naked many times before. Not once had she shied away from letting him look at her while he fingered her, but with his face right there between her thighs it was a much more intimate experience. She was already wet and the sight of it had a greedy hunger coursing through his veins, turning his heart to a lump in his throat, and sending a pulsing ache straight to his cock. Her arousal was all for him.</p><p>Growing impatient before even she did, he leaned in and kissed her, his lips brushing against her center, his senses overwhelmed between the way she tasted, her heady scent, and the heat that radiated off her. A sharp intake of breath from her only made him smile again and he slipped his tongue out to begin exploring and teasing her in reply. Percy didn’t torture her long with those languid motions, though. Quickly he started to lick and suck with purpose, mostly at her clit, but occasionally venturing further down, to probe at her entrance with his tongue or use his lips and teeth to tease again at her folds.</p><p>Once again her fingers slipped into his hair, Annabeth’s grip much more forceful than it had been while they were simply kissing. Every tug inspired a quiet moan from him and they were all timed perfectly with the jerk of her hips toward his mouth. Her legs continued to writhe around him, but he kept one of her thighs pinned carefully to the bed. That leg fought against him more intently as the sounds slipping past her lips became louder, but he had plenty of strength to hold her down. His other hand caressed at her other thigh, rubbing gentle circles against the soft skin there even as she refused to stay still for more than a second.</p><p>“I love you,” she groaned, the words as much a demand for more as they were a declaration of her feelings.</p><p>Any other time Percy probably would have used his fingers in conjunction with his mouth, but this first time he wanted to get her off without them. They both knew his fingers were perfectly capable of pleasuring her. He wanted her to experience something entirely new and it was a little bit of an ego trip to see just how easily she came undone for him in a completely different way. She really did come undone, too.</p><p>He watched and felt her whole body seize as her orgasm hit, a cry of pleasure coming from her strangled and getting caught in her throat. Those fingers in his hair gripped him hard, pushing his face into her as she simultaneously lifted her hips to grind against him in a desperate bid for more. If he hadn’t been so carefully restraining one of her thighs, he was sure he would have been crushed between them. As it was, the one left free did it’s best to clamp down toward the other.</p><p>Watching her come had always been a delight. Her eyes pinched shut, her mouth hanging open, and she looked almost angry as those seconds dragged on and her body was wracked with pleasure. The expression she wore was adorable, satisfying to inspire every single time, and his mouth continued to work at her until she had relaxed entirely, all but stilled save for the way she twitched in response to the over stimulation.</p><p>“I love you,” Percy said, his voice a blend of rough from want and soft from the sincerity of sentiment, as he climbed back up her body, pressing kisses against her skin randomly as he went. Her fingers were still in his hair, though now they slipped through his locks gently, lazy and affectionate.</p><p>“I love you,” Annabeth replied, once his face was even with hers. Those intense gray eyes of hers were bleary in the afterglow of her orgasm and he loved being able to so thoroughly disarm that otherwise piercing gaze of hers.</p><p>When he kissed her, her tongue was quick to slide across his lips and slip into his mouth, a moan rumbling in the back of her throat that gave him half a mind to dive right back down and start back in on her. Those thoughts were dispelled as one of her hands dropped from his hair, dragging down his chest and abdomen. Her fingers lingered against his abs for a few seconds and he smiled into the kiss at her obvious appreciation of his body, but then her hand moved on and suddenly she was palming him through his sweats. All the arousal that had been gathering in his stomach threatened to explode with that simple touch and he broke away to drop his head and moan against her shoulder.</p><p>Her teeth grazed against his ear as she continued to tease him. “You’re so hard.”</p><p>“Are you surprised?” he asked, voice heavy with want as the words made way for another moan in response to the way she squeezed him.</p><p>The soft, giggly laugh she let out right next to his ear was sweeter than any candy. “No.”</p><p>That was the answer he was expecting, of course. More often than was good for him, Percy got hard just looking at her and she was painfully aware of this fact. This was a problem most days in class, when he was in skin tight shorts, and she was in those infuriatingly sexy suits, and he had to at least try to save face in front of the rest of his students. Thankfully he could usually drop into the pool to protect himself from embarrassment.</p><p>Embarrassment was not an issue there in Annabeth’s room, though.</p><p>She pushed his shoulder and he rolled obediently onto his back. The brilliant smile that melted all his insides was on her face once again as she straddled him, and if he hadn’t already been as turned on as physically possible, just the sight of her like that – naked and radiant and so clearly overjoyed by the prospect of taking him apart – would have been enough to get him there. His breathing was ragged as she ran a single finger over his torso, again tracing the lines of his muscles. It tickled, made him twitch and push his hips up toward her for even the faintest hint of relief.</p><p>“I love you,” he reminded her, as if she might have forgotten in the minutes since he’d last said the words.</p><p>If it were even possible, her smile brightened, and Percy really thought in that moment he was going to die from the force of it, the way his chest constricted with longing. There was also the fact that she chose that very moment to slip her fingers under the waistband of his sweats and tug them down. He breathed a tiny sigh of relief as his erection was freed from its confines and pushed up on his elbows. Considering how beautiful Annabeth looked, he wanted to watch every second of the show she was about to put on as closely as possible.</p><p>“I love you,” she finally said back, eyes sparkling.</p><p>Brushing her fingers along his length lightly, the sensation painfully taunting, she positioned herself above him and leaned down. Her eyes were trained to his as those cruel fingers of hers curled around him and he prepared himself for what was about to happen. Annabeth hesitated, though, breaking eye contact momentarily. It was fleeting, but he recognized the hesitation just the same.</p><p>Percy reached down, brushing his fingers over her cheek. “You don’t have to.”</p><p>“I know. It’s just,” she swallowed hard, “I’ve never done this.”</p><p>Any other reassurance he might have spoken was silenced as her tongue slipped out and dragged along the tip of his cock. The moan he practically choked on had her smiling again and then it was his turn to thread his fingers into her hair. Those blonde curls were softer than words could express and he had no qualms about getting tangled up in them. She apparently took no issue with it either, because she simply continued to run her tongue along his length, up and down his shaft a few times, then back to his tip. For someone who’d never done it before, she was unfairly good at it.</p><p>Some of her inexperience became more evident as she wrapped her lips around him and took him into her mouth, though that wasn’t to say he was complaining in the slightest. Even just the sight of her sucking on him with such enthusiasm was perfect, but the suction, the warmth of her mouth and the press of her tongue against him made it absolutely heavenly. While she never tried to take too much of him into her mouth, her hand was firm around the base of his cock, squeezing and stroking in a very complimentary way. All in all it was already shaping up to one of the best blow jobs he’d ever received, something that had him very excited for the prospect of <em>future</em> blow jobs.</p><p>Except, as he tugged her hair encouragingly, breathed increasingly heavy moans and rocked his hips up experimentally to meet her, Annabeth’s confidence grew. With that growing confidence, she also became bold. A lewd popping sound echoed through the room as she released him from her lips to once again start working him with her tongue, but she didn’t just tease his tip and shaft, dropping her mouth to his balls while her hand jerked him. When he let out a pleasantly surprised whine and tightened his hold on her curls, he heard the tiniest, triumphant laugh and felt very close to madness.</p><p>When she pulled him into her mouth again she did something, though he had no idea what, that created such a solid seal around him it was unreal. He forgot how badly he wanted to watch her, his head falling back and his eyes closing as he lost himself in the sensation and pleasure. Instead of seeing, he felt the way her head bobbed up and down with increasing speed, her hand continuing to squeeze and twist in conjunction. Before he knew what was happening pressure was building in his gut, the tell tale pinch in his balls signaling he was about to entirely lose control.</p><p>He managed to open his eyes and grunt a warning to her a few seconds before his orgasm hit. The corners of her lips quirked up ever so slightly, but she didn’t stop as he came. Watching through the forceful haze of orgasm as she continued sucking on him, the way his thick, white cum dripped past her lips, was surreal and so insanely sexy it made him dizzy. By the time he finished he’d collapsed back on the bed and his chest was heaving with the effort to catch his breath.</p><p>Annabeth crawled back up his body with a self-satisfied smile on her lips along with remnant drops of his cum. Using the hand still in her hair to pull her in, he kissed her again. His tongue brushed the corners of her lips clean, tasted the strangeness of his own cum in her mouth as it pressed inside. A hum of contentment sounded in the back of his throat and she echoed it shortly before finally breaking away so she could settle herself to rest against his chest.</p><p>For a long time they were silent, just laying there together. Being able to do that with her was important to Percy, especially because of what she had once confided in him about her horrible first experiences. Those weren’t things he particularly liked to think about, especially not in moments when he was so blissfully happy, but some part of him was always aware of it, always intent on making sure he provided her nothing but happiness in return for what she gave him. Knowing how much it meant to her made those minutes spent with his fingers combing through her hair that much sweeter.</p><p>“When did you know?” Annabeth finally asked, reaching up to brush the pads of her fingers against his lips. The intensity had returned to his eyes, though her gaze was more reverent than piercing as she traced the shape of his mouth.</p><p>Percy smiled back at her, already feeling overcome with love yet again. “That I loved you or that you loved me?”</p><p>“The second one,” she answered.</p><p>“Valentine’s Day,” he told her, not even having to think about his answer. “When we were up in our room during the wedding, when I told you I would wait a lifetime for you, and you smiled. You’d never smiled at me like that before.”</p><p>Annabeth laughed, her expression turning to something more akin to awe. “I barely even knew then. I definitely wasn’t ready to admit it.” </p><p>“And when did you know?” Percy asked, wondering if she had any idea how early in their relationship she’d stolen his heart. Maybe he should have been embarrassed by how little time that had taken, but he wasn’t. Percy was more confident in his love for her than ever and he knew even in those early days his feelings had been as true as they were now. “That I loved you, I mean.”</p><p>She considered the question, brushing her lips against his chest as she thought about her answer. “The night I came back from San Francisco,” she finally told him, voice barely above a whisper. “When I met you, Piper and Jason at the airport. It was terrifying, and I told myself it was crazy, but… I knew. You looked at me across that airport and I thought, <em>This man loves me</em>.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” Percy confirmed, nodding, a quiet laugh slipping past his lips. “That was the day I knew I was a goner. I would have walked to San Francisco to bring you home if I’d had to, and probably would have gotten into a lot of trouble along the way.”</p><p>“You know the reason I had Piper call you was because I was worried you’d do something crazy if you heard me crying, right?” she asked, and though she sounded like she was teasing, he had a feeling she was completely serious.</p><p>“You are the smartest person I’ve ever known,” he replied, laughing again. “I probably would have.”</p><p>Annabeth tilted her head down again, pressing another kiss against his skin. “I love you.”</p><p>When she looked back at him, another question was nagging at the back of his mind. “Can I ask one more thing?”</p><p>“Anything,” she told him earnestly.</p><p>“Where the fuck did you learn to do that with your mouth?”</p><p>She laughed, rolling onto her back next to him while she got lost in a fit of giggles. Waiting for her answer, he rolled over to switch their positions, hovering above her and enjoying the sight of her so giddy. After a few deep breaths she cleared her throat. “I was nervous about it, so I did a lot of research the last few weeks. I wasn’t sure how well it would translate into real world application, but I’m happy to hear my efforts were fruitful.”</p><p>“Fruitful,” he repeated, nodding slowly. Nothing she had ever said to him had been so completely <em>Annabeth</em> and it only served to deepen his ever growing love for her. “Well, you’re welcome to experiment with further real world applications at your leisure.”</p><p>One leg hooked around him and Annabeth used her weight to flip them back into their original arrangement, though this time she pushed herself up on her arms and hovered over his abdomen. “You’re going to regret making that offer,” she teased, letting her lips brush along his muscles as they tensed.</p><p>“Yeah, I really don’t think so,” Percy replied, and he’d rarely been so confident in his life.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Seven Layer Bean Dip</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>just a little peek into our resident dumbass leo valdez, with a side of percy and hazel, a little cameo or two, and The Best Parents. also ❌ no more dialog ❌ conversations has progressed past the need for dialog ❌</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leo Valdez had been on the run for close to a year when he met Paul Blofis.</p><p><em>What a stupid name</em>, was his first thought when the social worker told him about his placement. Leo had known a lot of social workers by that point in his life. Some of them were great, some of them were not, most of them were as exhausted by the system as he already was at the tender age of twelve years old. The social workers weren’t the reason he ran, though, the people with stupid names like <em>Blofis</em> who brought him home and then treated him like a criminal or a freak were the reasons he ran.</p><p>In the year Leo had been on the run he’d made it all the way from Houston to New York City. He’d been small for his age and had a knack for both scavenging and begging for food. Being small meant he was pitiful enough to convince a few generous people to help him with bus tickets and the occasional meal. People were disturbingly gullible when a kid had big eyes and a decent pout. Stealing from them probably would have been easy, and a few times Leo had considered trying, but he always heard his mom’s voice in the back of his head scolding him. Something about disappointing her that way, even though she’d been gone four years by then, was too much for him to stomach. Going hungry a night or two or throwing away his pride to dig through some trash was better.</p><p>CPS eventually caught up with him, though. Before he even got a placement, Leo was already planning on making a break for it again at the first opportunity. Enter Paul Blofis.</p><p>Paul had a small apartment in Brooklyn. It wasn’t anything too fancy, but it was clean and it was nicer than a lot of the places Leo had stayed over his years in foster care. Leo got his own room, which was cool, even though it was small. That was also something he hadn’t experienced often since his mom had died. Sharing a room was alright, even fun sometimes, depending on the other kids, but having his own space in a new home made the transition a little easier.</p><p>Maybe it was Paul’s really stupid name. Maybe it was Paul’s awesome beard. Maybe it was the fact Paul didn’t immediately treat him like a pet or a dangerous wild animal. Leo was never quite sure why he stayed, but he did, and Leo soon discovered Paul wanted him to.</p><p>They did a lot of dumb touristy stuff together those first few years. Paul took him to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, to baseball and basketball games, and to just about every museum NYC had to offer, which was a lot. Leo had struggled in school since his mom died, and while he continued to cause trouble, his grades started to improve, mostly because Paul would come home every night and sit at the kitchen table with Leo, while he did his homework and Paul graded papers. They would make dinner together most nights, too. When they didn’t make dinner, Paul would let Leo decide where they went out to or ordered in from. In the summers they’d take day trips to the beach, or go camping, and they even flew down to Orlando to go to Disney World, which Leo pretended he wasn’t nearly as excited about as he was. </p><p>Once Leo started showing a propensity for the sciences, Paul pulled every string and called in every favor he’d ever done just to get Leo into the best STEM learning programs in the city for kids his age. Paul thought he was sneaky about it, he thought Leo didn’t notice the way he subtly changed his spending habits to cover the fees associated with those programs, he probably even thought Leo didn’t consider those factors at all, but Leo knew, Leo noticed, and Leo considered all those factors regularly. They never talked about it, Leo just worked that much harder to get the most out of every opportunity Paul provided for him.</p><p>Almost three full years passed like that. Calling Paul family still felt weird, even after all that time and everything they had done together, and Leo didn’t want to jinx himself, but sometimes he found himself thinking this was it. He’d found the real deal.</p><p>Leo Valdez was in detention when he met Percy Jackson.</p><p>If anyone in the history of people had been the anti-Leo, it was Percy. Sure, they had a few things in common. Both of them were troublemakers, too sarcastic for their own goods, and a tad prone to popping their tops when someone made an offhand comment that was a little too rude, but the similarities stopped there. </p><p>Percy was athletic, a bit of a prodigy, and significantly more popular than Leo was. He was tall and handsome in that kind of bad boy next door way that never really went out of style. Girls didn’t seem to mind his acne, because Leo heard them fawning over the guy all the time, even when he had a giant zit on his nose. Percy had a girlfriend, too, an artsy, cute and quirky redhead named Rachel who Leo thought was a little crazy and therefore extremely hot.</p><p>While Leo didn’t have acne, girls still didn’t pay him any mind. There was no girlfriend for Leo. He was short, scrawny, and definitely not handsome. Most people at Goode High School didn’t even know his name. Over the last few years, mostly thanks to Paul’s support and encouragement, Leo had become pretty good at math and physics. The coolest thing Leo did was work on cars, but spending extra time in the school shop wasn’t exactly putting him on the map with his peers.</p><p>That first time they had detention together, they didn’t say anything to each other. They sat in the back of the class on opposite ends of the row doing their own things in silence as was expected of them. Since they didn’t have any classes together, Leo didn’t really think much of it. He figured they’d see each other in detention again, but never cross paths otherwise. Percy would be the cool kid Leo watched from a distance, while being lowkey jealous and keeping his head down, just trying to get through high school.</p><p>Leo Valdez realized how very wrong he was the night he met Sally Jackson.</p><p>For a kid who was actually pretty smart, Leo could be a real dunce sometimes. Not once in those first few weeks Paul started seeing Sally did Leo put her together with <em>Percy</em>. Yeah, he knew Paul was dating a parent. Yeah, he knew Percy was in Paul’s homeroom class. Yeah, he, at some point, heard Paul use the name Jackson when talking about Sally. None of those details clicked.</p><p>All four of them met at the Jackson place, a tiny apartment in the Bronx. Sally made seven layer bean dip and blue chocolate chip cookies. Paul grilled burgers on the fire escape. It was definitely awkward and Leo wasn’t sure how to feel about it. Neither was Percy, from what Leo could tell.</p><p>As the year progressed, Leo and Percy remained distant at school. Occasionally they said hello to each other. When they met in detention they’d exchange a few pleasantries, or ask about each other’s parents (it was at this point, though it would be a little while longer before he realized he was doing it, Leo actually started thinking of Paul as his <em>parent</em>). During those months things between Paul and Sally became increasingly serious, and that meant Leo and Percy saw each other outside of school more and more often, too, but those outside encounters were never discussed on campus or in front of either of their friends.</p><p>He never admitted it to anyone, never dared speak the thoughts to words, but during that time Leo was terrified. The more serious Paul and Sally became, the more likely they would do more than date. If they did more than date, Leo wasn’t sure where he would fit into the picture. Sally was cool. She was nice, and funny, and Leo liked being around her, but that didn’t mean that she liked <em>him</em>. If Sally didn’t like him, Paul might give him the boot. No one would choose some loser foster kid over a woman like Sally, and Sally even came with a much cooler, more impressive kid.</p><p>Saying it felt stupid, but Leo kind of loved Paul. The idea of losing Paul, of getting kicked out and probably ending up in some shitty group home or out on the street, was enough to make Leo sick. He’d lost two parents already – his dad before he was old enough to remember, and then his mom when he was eight. Leo wasn’t sure he could handle losing a third.</p><p>Not once did he consider Paul loved him, too, or that Paul would never want a life that didn’t include him. That still seemed impossible to Leo at the time, mostly because he still struggled to believe what he’d found with Paul was permanent. Leo didn’t really remember what permanent things felt like and the pessimist in him had given up on permanence somewhere around the third foster home back in Houston.</p><p>Leo Valdez had his world flipped on its head yet again the summer he met Hazel Levesque.</p><p>Over the months he’d been getting to know Sally and Percy, they’d mentioned Hazel often. All Leo really knew was that she was a friend, the daughter of a family Sally worked for a couple years back, who came to visit over the summers and other school breaks. It was weird, and he didn’t really get it, but Leo had decided not to ask too many questions. The less he rocked the boat, the better.</p><p>The day Hazel arrived in the city, they planned on heading out to Montauk for two weeks. Apparently it was tradition for the Jackson family to spend at least a little of the summer there. They rented out a run down little two bedroom cabin. Sally and Paul shared the master bedroom (gross, but Leo wasn’t thinking about it), they gave Hazel the second bedroom, and Leo and Percy had the great honor of sharing the pull out couch. That was awkward, but Leo made due.</p><p>Hazel was great. She was smart, energetic, funny, and bright. During those two weeks in Montauk Leo found her relationship with Percy and Sally stranger and stranger, though. </p><p>Sally doted on her constantly with subtle affectionate gestures like adjusting her swimsuit straps or fixing her hair or adding a little extra of her favorite foods to her plate during meals. They made breakfast together every morning. They had inside jokes and teased Percy and told stories together. It was the third day there at the cabin when Leo finally realized Hazel even called Sally, <em>Mom</em>. </p><p>Percy’s adoration of Hazel was also obvious. Leo had never seen Percy act the way he did around Hazel with anyone at school, not even Rachel. They teased each other often, though it was usually Hazel making quips and Percy pretending to be upset by them. Though Hazel was thirteen that summer, Percy babied her – tried to do simple tasks for her, bossed her around, worried about her constantly and even over the smallest things. Hazel didn’t seem to like it much, but for the most part she would just roll her eyes or tell him to shove off.</p><p>For a hot minute Leo thought maybe Sally <em>was</em> Hazel’s mom, that she was Percy’s half-sister, but in their second week at the cabin he discovered that was not the case. Hazel said something about talking to her mom back in Louisiana on the phone. Not much else was said, but Leo had noticed concerned expressions flutter across both Sally’s and Percy’s faces. Leo once again decided not to ask, but he understood a little better from there on out how Hazel fit into their family. She was an unofficial member of the Jackson clan, but she was a member of it just the same, a misfit, lost soul Sally and Percy had given a safe place to escape to and very evidently loved with all their hearts. He could relate to that and he began to wonder if maybe there’s be space in their hearts for one more misfit, lost soul.</p><p>On their last night at the cabin, Paul sat Leo and Percy down in the living room to have a serious conversation. He wanted to propose to Sally.</p><p>“I’m not asking either of you for permission,” Paul told them, though Leo had a feeling that bit was mostly for Percy. “This would effect all four of us, though. I want us to all be on board, to be a real family, figuratively <em>and</em> officially.”</p><p>The boys had looked at each other, both of them cautious. Leo braced himself for Percy to object, because he wouldn’t have blamed Percy for not wanting to have some scrawny loser science nerd for a brother. No one at school knew their parents were dating, at least not as far as Leo knew, but if their parents got married that would be a lot harder to hide.</p><p>“I think I’d like that,” Percy said, turning to Paul with a lopsided smile on his face. “I think I’d like that a lot.”</p><p>A month and a half later, the family was back in Montauk. On the beach just outside the cabin, with a handful of friends and family in attendance, Paul and Sally were married. It wasn’t anything super fancy, but Leo was pretty sure they were all in agreement about it being one of the best days of their lives. Leo was the best man. Hazel was the maid of honor. Percy walked Sally down the aisle.</p><p>One more kind of important thing happened that summer, too – in a flurry of paperwork and court dates and interviews with social workers, Paul and Sally adopted Leo. Legally. Something permanent had found Leo. His believing it wasn’t possible hadn’t mattered at all.</p><p>Hazel left at the end of summer, and Leo was sad to see her go. They’d become decent friends over the course of that single summer, even though Leo was kind of awkward around girls and he still didn’t fully understand how she fit into this new family of his. She promised to see them all again close to Christmas, both for the holiday and to celebrate her birthday, so Leo was looking forward to that.</p><p>By the time sophomore year rolled around, all four of them were moved into a new apartment in Manhattan. Leo and Percy still weren’t entirely sure of each other, but they were now sharing bunk beds in a cramped room. Paul and Sally were always good mediators and before long the boys managed to work out the worst of their differences. Percy was a lot less intimidating than he’d seemed from a distance at school. If anything, Leo had really misread the guy. Sure, he was popular, but the more Leo got to know him, the more Leo realized the reason for that popularity was just because he was so annoyingly likable (and probably the whole Percy being stupidly good looking thing). </p><p>They actually liked the same comic books. And the same cartoons. And the same video games. And the same kinds of cars. That last one was where the bonding really started.</p><p>In that time Leo got to know most of Percy’s closest friends, too, and they accepted him without a second though. Beckendorf and Selina had graduated and left for college, but Leo made fast friends with Grover, who was possibly the only person in the world Leo had ever met who loved food as much as he did. Rachel was cool, but Leo never figured out how to talk to her. Any time they tried to have a conversation, it sputtered and died after a couple minutes. As long as someone else was around, there wasn’t really a problem, so Leo just did his best not to be alone with her. He didn’t really get <em>Percy and Rachel</em>, either, but he supposed that wasn’t really up to him if they were into each other, and they did seem pretty into each other as far as he could tell.</p><p>That was the year they got Bessie and Festus, though it would take another year and a half of hard work and sweat before either car was in shape enough to actually drive. Together, with a lot of help from the shop teacher at Goode, who was a good friend of Paul’s, Percy and Leo took those cars from scrap metal to fully restored. Leo did a lot of teaching, but Percy surprised him by being a good student, not letting his pride get hurt when Leo corrected him on something he was doing wrong or got a little bossy. Percy was also a good sport when he lost the rock-paper-scissors match over their blue paint and was stuck with the mustard yellow instead. In hind sight Leo would wonder if Paul and Sally had funded the car projects because they knew it would bring the boys together. Paul and Sally were sneaky that way.</p><p>As promised, Hazel came to visit for a few days in December, but it was not the most memorable part of Leo’s Winter Break. That, unfortunately, was the afternoon he walked in on Percy and Rachel. Leo saw more of both of them than he ever wanted to and would never quite be able to get the image out of his head.</p><p>In the spring Sally and Paul decided to buy the cabin in Montauk. They were by no stretch of the word rich, but Sally had just sold her first book and Paul made decent money for a teacher, so they had more than enough for a down payment and were comfortable enough to afford the mortgage. Considering how much the cabin meant to Sally and Percy, and the fact it was now where Paul had both proposed and where they’d been married, when they found out it was up for sale there hadn’t really been a question about buying it. Of course, that meant the cabin was a mess when they arrived there at the start of summer.</p><p>Leo Valdez made an absolute fool of himself the morning he met Calypso Atlas.</p><p>Since the cabin was in need of repair, the family had piled back into the car and driven up the road to a place called The Golden Apple. While Paul and Sally went inside to get them checked in, the kids had opted to hang around outside. Percy sat in the car with the back door open, attached to his phone as he texted Rachel – they were <em>always</em> texting those days, something that was beginning to drive Leo a little crazy. Hazel was leaning against the trunk of the car, her arms crossed and her lips pursed as she stared Percy down. While Leo knew Hazel liked Rachel well enough, and he was ninety-nine percent sure her annoyance wasn’t because she had a crush on Percy or anything, it was clear Hazel wasn’t a fan of this new phone addicted phase of Percy’s relationship.</p><p>Unlike the other two, Leo was not content to sit still and wait. Digging his trusty hacky sack out of his pocket, he started to bounce it between his feet, silently wishing Percy wasn’t being such an obsessive dweeb so he wouldn’t have to play alone. Leo was close to breaking his personal juggling record when his foot caught on a pebble on the walkway. He tried to catch his balance, arms flailing, but failed. His tumble backwards ended in him stomping through a flowerbed and crashing into a wooden garden table. Even though Leo was a relatively small guy, the flimsy table and it’s two chairs shattered under the force of his fall.</p><p>A shriek of horror followed. Before Leo had a chance to even get his bearings or take stock of potential injuries, a girl was standing over him, her eyes wide with rage and her hands on her hips. She wore a pair of jeans and a white blouse, with a name tag pinned to her chest reading <em>Calypso</em>. In all his almost seventeen years of life, Leo had never seen a more beautiful woman.</p><p>Naturally, she hated him. No matter how many times Leo apologized over the week they spent at The Golden Apple, she continued to hate him. While he, Paul and Percy worked on getting the cabin in livable shape, Leo also took on a small side project – he built a replacement for the table and chairs he’d broken. When, on their last night at the bed and breakfast, he presented Calypso with his replacement for what he’d broken, she huffed and stuck her nose in the air, but accepted the peace offering. Leo didn’t mention the fact that the table and chairs he built were much better quality than the store bought set she’d had before, or that the handmade, rustic aesthetic went a lot better with her garden and the inn as a whole. She didn’t mention any of that, either.</p><p>He kind of hoped he wouldn’t see her again that summer, but he also kind of hoped he would more. For better or worse, <em>more</em> won out. Calypso, or <em>Cal</em>, as most people called her, was a local, which meant she was at all the beach parties and other get togethers Leo and Percy got wind of while they were there. Leo kept his distance all the same, catching her flashing sour looks in his direction on occasion, but they didn’t speak again. He was always aware of her when she was around, though, who she was talking to (usually her sisters), or what kinds of things she liked to do (she wasn’t big on dancing, but she got really into it whenever someone started up campfire songs, and she loved beach volleyball and soccer), or what she liked to eat (s’mores were a big yes, as was basically anything roasted over the fire, but she hated seafood and didn’t much care for drinking).</p><p>Summer came to a close without much more excitement. Oh, except for one kind of important revelation the very last week they were in Montauk – Sally was pregnant.</p><p>Leo Valdez changed in a very fundamental way the day he met Estelle Jackson-Blofis.</p><p>Living with a pregnant woman was weird. Leo saw, heard and smelled things over those nine months he had never even imagined were possible. It was also really cool. He never forgot the first time he heard the baby’s heartbeat, or felt the baby kicking in Sally’s stomach. Finding out they were having a <em>sister</em> was exciting all around. During that long nine month period Leo also discovered one of his all time favorite foods – peanut butter and pickle sandwiches. Between him and Sally, they almost couldn’t keep pickles or peanut butter in the house, and Paul and Percy both found it absolutely disgusting. Even after Estelle was born, those sandwiches remained something Leo and Sally shared.</p><p>That March was when Percy and Rachel broke up. It was a whole thing, very dramatic, and the gossip went on at school for weeks. Some people said it was because Percy was actually gay (it was not). Others said it was because <em>Rachel</em> was actually gay (Leo never got a clear answer on this, but he had some doubts based on personal experiences he would rather forget). More people figured one of them had cheated (not the case, either). Percy acted fine about it. They told everyone it was something they decided together and they were still friends, all that jazz, but Leo slept in the bunk above Percy and knew better. He never mentioned it, never tried to make Percy talk to him about it, but Leo heard Percy cry more than once in the following weeks.</p><p>Come April, it wasn’t Percy’s crying that would be disturbing Leo at night, though.</p><p>When Sally’s water broke, everything was madness. Paul was freaking out. Percy was freaking out. Leo was <em>definitely</em> freaking out. Sally was the one who kept her head and got them to the hospital. That was the first time Leo had really thought about how long Sally and Percy had been alone. Leo didn’t even know Percy’s birth father’s name. She hadn’t had anyone with her when Percy was born, or when he was a baby, or for several years after – and, while Leo didn’t know much about Sally’s first husband, the things he’d heard weren’t good, and he figured they’d stayed more or less alone while she was married to that guy, too. </p><p>Twelve hours of labor later, their little star was born. People who came by to visit said Estelle had Paul’s nose, or Sally’s eyes, but Leo couldn’t really see any of that. He just saw a red, wrinkly little screaming, puking, pooping machine. And he loved her with all his heart.</p><p>Before that day in early April, some part of Leo had still worried it was all in his head, that it could all fall apart at the drop of a hat and he’d be back out on his ass and alone. He never would have admitted it, especially not to anyone in his family, but it had been true all along. Holding Estelle, listening to her scream at the top of her lungs, watching her sleep, having no idea how anyone could know she looked like either of their parents, it all clicked.</p><p>These were his people. This was <em>his</em> family. They chose him, not because they had to, not because it was expected of them, because all of them, in their own ways, had wanted to. Leo chose them, too.</p><p>Days turned to months, turned to years, and Leo stopped being scared something would go terribly wrong and ruin his life again. Sure, it was always possible. Nothing in life was ever guaranteed. Leo wasn’t alone, though, and even if something did go wrong, he believed he could count on the people he had around him to get him through it.</p><p>The summer after Estelle was born Hazel came back and Leo suddenly thought she was really cute. They dated and it was weird, so they stopped a couple months later, and before long they laughed about it at every opportunity. Leo still thought she was really cute, but not for him. Someone else out there probably thought Hazel was a lot more than just cute, or would before long. There was someone he thought was a lot more than just cute, too. Cal made it clear at every opportunity that she still hated Leo, though.</p><p>Senior year they did all the normal high school things. They went to prom. Leo and Percy both went stag – even though several girls asked Percy to go with them and he danced with all of them at least once over the course of the night. They applied to colleges.  Percy got scouted to NYU first, which made sense, since he was posting swim times as good as or better than most swimmers nationally, even then. Leo made sure everyone within hearing distance at school heard about that. A few times Percy caught Leo in a headlock for it, but bragging was worth it.</p><p>Leo’s acceptance letter came a couple months later. He got in to a few more schools, but NYU offered him the best scholarship and he could live at home instead of having to pay room and board. Paul and Sally tried to convince him they would make it work if he wanted to go anywhere else – Sally’s second book had done even better than the first and they were more financially comfortable than they’d ever been. Since Percy’s tuition was covered fully they could spare that much more for Leo’s future. Leaving was unbearable to him, though. There was no way he was ready to leave after all he’d fought for.</p><p>Leo Valdez wanted to stay.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. ICEEs, Macarons, & Truffle Fries</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i had a lot of fun writing this! mostly because i love frank and hazel so much. and lowkey regret not making hazel a full on pov in the main fic sometimes (even though this is a frank piece).</p><p>it crosses over a little with my vintage love, if you're wondering what thalia is up to during a certain part of this. as for jason during that same time? 👀 maybe another day.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Frank was getting beat up when he met Hazel, which was the most embarrassing way to meet someone so completely amazing he could think of, but that was kind of the story of his life.</p><p>It was Nico di Angelo's twelfth birthday party. Nico’s parents had rented out Adventureland and invited every kid they knew between the ages of ten and twenty. Jason was there, somewhere, but Frank had ended up separated from him in the arcade. As if they'd been watching and waiting for the opportunity, four of Frank's classmates had converged on him the second he stepped back outside, dragged him to a secluded little corner behind the Mystery Mansion, and started railing on him. Apparently the many attractions in the park were not sufficient entertainment for them. </p><p>They'd done it a few times before, though never on school grounds where they could get in actual trouble for it. Experience had taught Frank it was best to defend his more sensitive areas as best as possible and take the beating. They kicked harder if he tried to get away or fight back. Usually they'd just leave him with a few bruises and that was all he could really ask for.</p><p>The kicking had only just started when a girl shouted, "Hey buttheads! Leave him alone!"</p><p>His attackers must have been just as shocked by the interruption as Frank was, because they abruptly stopped. Hesitant to expose himself, Frank pulled his arm away from his face just enough to look up and see who had interrupted him. It was a sight he would never forget, awe inspiring.</p><p>Hazel Levesque stood a few feet away, her feet planted square with her shoulders. He recognized her from the few times he’d been to these types of parties before – Nico’s half-sister, only a month older. Once upon a time the di Angelos pretended the over the top parties were for <em>both</em> Hazel and Nico, but this year they had dropped all pretense. The banners strung around the park only read, <em>Happy Birthday, Nico</em>, and there had only been one table for presents when Frank and Jason had walked in. If Hazel had been thrown her own party the month before, the guest list had not been so extensive as to include Frank. That probably meant she hadn’t been given one, because the di Angelos always at least invited the Graces to parties.</p><p>In her hand, pointed at the boys who had cornered Frank, was a plastic, purple prize wand with a star, feathers and ribbons on the top. She must have won it from one of the carnival games. She wore jeans and a frilly blouse under a coat that hung so loosely on her it must have been at least a size too big, with her hair tied into to puffy pig tails on either side of her head. Were it not for the fierce look in her golden eyes, she might have looked cute. Instead she looked imposing, powerful, intimidating. <em>Beautiful</em>.</p><p>“What are you going to do about it?” one of the guys asked, his sneer making it clear he was not as impressed with Hazel as Frank was.</p><p>“Don’t you know who my momma is?” Hazel asked in return, fearless and brazen. The few times Frank had encountered Hazel she had been soft spoken, shying away from any attention and avoiding conversation. There was no timidity in her that day, though.</p><p>The same boy hawked a loogie. “Everybody knows your mom is some whore your dad fucked and dumped. Then she went nuts, your dad locked her up in a loony bin, and he got stuck with you.”</p><p>For the briefest of seconds pain flashed across Hazel’s face, then it was gone and her glare only intensified. “She didn’t go nuts, they locked her up because she’s a <em>witch</em>.”</p><p>All four of the bullies burst into laughter. Not once while they laughed did Hazel lose her resolve, standing before them with such confidence it was almost as if she believed what she’d said herself. She let them laugh, but she didn’t let their laughter bother her.</p><p>It was an open secret in elite society that Nico and Hazel’s father had an affair and Hazel was the product of it. Adults talked about it all the time, too callously, the same way they whispered about Frank’s mom, or Auntie Beryl’s drinking, or Thalia’s new <em>girlfriend</em>, and so their children heard the same rumors and spread them with even more malintent. Probably Hazel had been attacked with those hurtful words countless times over the years by her peers. Unlike Frank, she seemed to have developed a skin thick enough to let the attacks bounce off.</p><p>“So what,” another of the boys forced out through his laughter, “you’re going to have her curse us or something?”</p><p>“No,” Hazel replied easily, lifting her chin in defiance. “<em>I’m</em> going to put a curse on you. She passed her magic down to me.”</p><p>That threat set the boys to laughing again, doubling over as they howled. Frank, so shocked by the confrontation playing out in front of him, had sat up on the ground. His eyes were as wide as saucers, his mouth hanging open, and he probably should have been doing something – maybe taking the opportunity to run off and find Jason – but he was too stunned to move.</p><p>Their laughter made Hazel’s expression darken. Without waiting for them to speak another word, she closed her eyes and began to mumble something under her breath, holding up her other hand along with the wand that was still pointed at the group of four that had been beating Frank. Straining to hear her, Frank’s face contorted in confusion. It sounded like she was speaking… Korean.</p><p>Korean was not a language Frank’s four attackers recognized, apparently, which wasn’t really a surprise considering what he knew about the four of them. Suddenly they were sobering up. They looked at each other, the glint of fear in all their eyes. One of them shouted, “Stop that, you freak!” but Hazel was not deterred. Her mumbling continued, her hands beginning to spin circles in the direction of the boy who’d spoken up. He stumbled back a step, his friends following suit. If he hadn’t just been in the midst of getting a beating, Frank might have found their reactions hysterical.</p><p>Hazel took a deep breath and then she opened her eyes, but they were rolled back so only the whites were visible. “<em>Her whisper is the Lucifer!</em>”</p><p>Tripping over each other to get away, all four attackers turned heel and ran. Frank heard one of them shouting something else about Hazel being a freak, but he was not taking any chances in sticking around long enough to lob the insults to Hazel’s face. With them gone, her eyes righted themselves and Hazel let out an exasperated sigh.</p><p>“You okay?” she asked, her gaze falling to Frank.</p><p>Still speechless, trying to make sense of what he’d just witnessed, Frank simply nodded. She gave him a sheepish smile and then slowly approached, offering him her hand. Once on his feet, Frank felt silly. Already, at the age of thirteen, he towered over her. She was half his size and yet she’d stood up to his bullies with ten times the courage he’d ever had in all his life combined.</p><p>“Wh-what was that?” Frank asked, when his words finally returned to him. “I mean, what you were saying to them.”</p><p>Instantly panic flashed across Hazel’s face and she was shaking her head. “They were lyrics to a song I like! A K-Pop song. I figured they were too stupid to recognize a language other than English. I don’t really know any curses or anything.”</p><p>“It was cool,” Frank assured her, his palms growing sweaty as he squeezed his hands into fists nervously. “Thanks for stopping them.”</p><p>Hazel shrugged and tucked her purple wand into her coat pocket. “I’m glad you’re okay.”</p><p>He nodded, embarrassed that he’d needed saving and not sure what else to say. From the way she was shuffling her feet, he got the impression she didn’t know what to say, either. That made sense. Frank wouldn’t have known what to say to a loser who’d just been curled into a ball getting the crap kicked out of him, either.</p><p>“You,” Hazel began, barely able to make eye contact with him, “you should try the ICEE station. They have cool flavors there. I’d never seen a couple of them before.”</p><p>Before he could get in another word, Hazel Levesque disappeared. </p><p>A few times through the rest of the day he tried looking for her, but there were too many other kids around and the park was too big. Frank never even once saw the birthday boy himself, which he kind of thought defeated the purpose of a birthday party entirely. As darkness fell over Long Island and the party began to wind down, Frank’s shoulders slumped. He wanted to say thank you again, to ask her what song it was she liked so much she could recite the lyrics like that even though they were in another language, to tell her how much he’d liked the ICEE station.</p><p>“Who are you looking for?” Jason asked, when Frank was craning his neck trying to sort through the many faces of kids waiting to be picked up outside the park.</p><p>Still too mortified by being jumped at a birthday party to be able to admit what happened, Frank just shook his head. “No one,” he lied, deciding to give up on his search. Jason didn’t look convinced, but didn’t press the issue.</p><p>Frank didn't see her again until over a year later, when Thalia dragged him and Jason to a garden party at the di Angelo place upstate. It was a hot summer afternoon and Frank had to wear a vest and bow tie that had him feeling like he was suffocating. He would be lucky if he didn’t sweat through all his clothes before they left.</p><p>At fifteen Frank had already gone through what would be his final big growth spurt, which meant he was well over six feet tall. He loomed over Jason, who was tall for their age already, like some freakish monster. While once his stature had been a target of his peers’ mockery, his freshman year of high school had brought with it the realization Frank was actually quite good at sports – mostly basketball, but also football and baseball – and most of the teasing had died along with that development. Instead of getting beaten up after school, Frank spent time at practice or in the gym with Jason and their other junior varsity teammates. Part of him always remained on edge, though, convinced it was only a matter of time before some brave, new bully came along and decided Frank’s size or spots on various sports teams didn’t make him exempt from getting his butt kicked.</p><p>Thalia disappeared first, leaving Frank and Jason to mill about the lawn awkwardly, fending off prying questions from adults as best they could. Before long Jason said he needed to use the restroom and also scuttled off, leaving Frank alone in a crowd of people he only just barely knew and generally did not like. His eyes scanned the others defensively, spotting a few guys he recognized from school, others he’d seen around at similar functions for years. There was no one he was interested in talking to, so he did his best to blend into the background of rose bushes and overly manicured hedges until either Thalia or Jason returned.</p><p>It would be a lie to say he wasn’t also searching for Hazel. He was, after all, at her house. Through the grapevine he’d heard she spent summers away, though he had no idea where or why. Frank wasn’t getting his hopes up about running into her. Still, the thought was ever present in the back of his mind.</p><p>His hunger eventually getting the best of him, Frank made his way to one of the buffet tables scattered across the garden. They were stacked with fancy finger foods, most of it not particularly appetizing to him, and the rest made with cheese. The last thing Frank wanted at a big party was a lactose induced episode of gas or diarrhea. Any progress he’d made in not being the target of constant bullying would probably be lost if even one of his classmates got wind of him passing gas at the di Angelos that summer. Physical abuse wasn’t all Frank had to be afraid of.</p><p>Instead of any of the proper food, Frank opted for the macarons. Cookies were usually good, even though he’d never had one of those fancy ones before, and he wasn’t sure what flavor to expect from the yellow color – lemon probably, maybe banana. His assumptions were wrong. What flavor it actually was, Frank had no idea, but it was gross, salty and surprisingly heavy where he’d expected something sweet and light. As his face contorted with disgust and Frank began coughing and trying to find a napkin to spit his small bite into, his clumsy fingers crushed the remaining half of the delicate cookie, sending a shower of crumbs across the table.</p><p>A bright giggle had Frank freezing in his tracks, disgusting taste in his mouth and all. He lifted his eyes to find the source, standing on the other side of the table, and Frank went from startled to plain old mortified.</p><p>Hazel hadn’t grown much in the roughly year and half since Frank had last seen her. Her hair hung loose around her face in a cloud of tight coils, the breeze catching her curls and giving them a life of their own. Frank knew next to nothing about fashion, but the dress she wore was yellow and flowy and made her look like a fairy.</p><p>“They’re duck fat,” she said, her smile broad and her gentle giggle continuing.</p><p>Frank looked down at the crumpled cookie in his hand, managing to swallow down the unfortunate bit in his mouth. “W-why would they make duck fat <em>cookies</em>?”</p><p>“Maria always chooses weird food,” Hazel replied with a roll of her eyes and a shrug.</p><p>“Weird is… yeah,” Frank agreed, finally locating a napkin and wiping the rest of the <em>duck fat cookie</em> off his hands. That didn’t do anything for the lingering taste in his mouth, though. He had a feeling he’d be tasting that duck fat macaron for the rest of the day.</p><p>“The smoked pimiento crostini are good,” she offered, pointing to a platter on the other side of the table. “They’re basically just cheese on toast. I’ve had a bunch of them already.”</p><p>For a second Frank considered eating one just because she’d suggested it, then he remembered the worst case scenario of cheese consumption and decided against it. “I’m lactose intolerant,” he told her, glum and disappointed. If even cookies were <em>duck fat</em> flavored, he had a feeling he wasn’t going to be able to eat anything at this stupid party. When they left, maybe Thalia would let them swing by Burger King.</p><p>“Oh,” Hazel said, her mouth forming the shape of the single syllable perfectly.</p><p>He’d made it awkward, something he was good at. There had been so many things he’d thought about saying to her over the year and a half since Nico’s birthday at Adventureland, but they all seemed to be failing him. Her eyes were darting to the side, as if she were trying to plan an escape. Frank figured he should let her escape, but he didn’t want to.</p><p>“I listened to it,” he blurted out, right as she’d taken a breath to say something.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“That song, the one you… It’s called <em>Lucifer</em>, right? I looked it up. It was cool,” Frank explained, his tongue practically stumbling over the words as he tried to get them out so he wouldn’t sound completely crazy. It probably just served to make him sound crazier.</p><p>The ghost of her earlier smile played at her lips, not as full, but just as heart fluttering – oh, she was pretty, seriously pretty, beautiful in a way much different than the fearsomeness she’d embodied over a year prior – sweeter, more natural. “You did?”</p><p>Frank nodded, finding just the tiniest bit of confidence, and was about to say more when Thalia appeared at his side. She was disheveled, her face pinched in what he recognized as frustration, and her shoulders were squared defensively, the way they did whenever Auntie Beryl was around – except, as far as he knew, Auntie Beryl was in LA, and he doubted she’d ever be welcome at the di Angelos’ anyway.</p><p>“Where’s Jason? We need to leave,” Thalia said, her tone clipped and laced with frustration. Frank noticed sweat on Thalia’s forehead but didn’t make anything of it, considering he was drenched with the stuff.</p><p>“He said he was going to the bathroom, but I haven’t seen him since,” Frank told her, confused and worried by Thalia’s sudden intensity. </p><p>His eyes scanned the crowd in the garden, looking for Jason, but couldn’t find him. Frank did spot Reyna, arms crossed and expression guarded as she talked to her sister, Hylla. He hadn’t seen or spoken to Reyna in a couple years, since she’d left for college, and some gut instinct told him Reyna had something to do with Thalia’s sudden desperation to get away. While he didn’t know what had happened between them, Frank knew the two hadn’t spoken in those years Reyna had been gone, after being inseparable for as long as he could remember. Something must have happened, but what, he couldn’t say.</p><p>When he looked back across the buffet table, Hazel was gone.</p><p>Thalia groaned and jutted her chin toward the house. “Let’s go find Jace and get out of here. Coming was a stupid idea.”</p><p>Shoulders slumped in defeat, not sure where Hazel had gone off to, and resigned to his fate of having to leave, Frank nodded. Before he left the table, he grabbed a couple of those smoked pimiento crostini. He was no longer at risk of being in an uncomfortable situation at the party, since they’d be leaving as soon as they tracked down Jason. Hazel had been right, they were great.</p><p>Over the next few years, Frank admittedly didn’t think of Hazel Levesque very often. </p><p>In the fall after he turned sixteen, his mom died. It was sudden. Emily broke her leg, nothing spectacular or unusual or even particularly concerning. After all she’d been through in the military, a broken leg should have been nothing. Someday it might have been a funny story, even. Except a few days later she developed a pulmonary embolism and just like that she was gone. His grandparents came down from Canada for the funeral. His father did not come up from DC. </p><p>He hadn’t seen his mother’s parents since he was a kid and his maternal grandmother was almost as terrifying as his paternal grandfather. Almost, at least in a very different way. She wanted to take Frank back with them, but the Grace elders wouldn’t allow it. From what Thalia told him later, it was an impressive battle of wills. For better or worse, the Grace family always came out on top and Jove Grace, Frank’s grandfather, had put his foot down about keeping Frank in New York. That week was the last time Frank ever saw his mom’s parents, or anyone from his mom’s family.</p><p>Everyone just kind of expected him to go back to living in the same apartment he always had, except now without his mother, sixteen and completely alone. There was nothing in particular he needed. He had a housekeeper who could make him meals, a driver to help him get around, and plenty of money at his disposal for whatever he wanted. Frank spent one day back in that apartment before Reyna (who had in the course of the year he’d last seen her come home and worked out her issues with Thalia) and Jason showed up to tell Frank he would be moving in with them. Thalia would have been there too, but she was still mostly out of commission from a terrible motorcycle accident that summer.</p><p>From there on out Frank lost himself in the whirlwind of school and sports, excelling at both to keep himself distracted from his grief. Once he began to move past the worst of it, those things had simply become second nature to him. Frank continued to let his academic and athletic distractions consume him.</p><p>He liked getting good grades and winning academic awards. He liked being elected student body president. He liked making MVP in basketball. He especially liked that time Jason got knocked out by a fly ball at state championships Frank’s junior year and missed the entire game because he was unconscious. He liked coming home to the apartment and listening to Thalia and Reyna talk about work over dinner, even if other kids his age would have thought it was boring. He liked graduating valedictorian. He liked sharing a few classes with Jason his freshman year of college and being able to discuss the material they were studying at home.</p><p>All in all, those years weren’t terrible. They could have been better, yeah, but they could have been worse just as easily. Sometimes Frank thought back to that last day with his mom, the way she’d laughed about her broken leg, and wondered what she would have said if she had been there to see him do all those things he liked. Those times especially, believing in his heart that she would be proud of all he’d accomplished, Frank thought he had a pretty good life.</p><p>Occasionally, when Frank was at some social function Thalia and Reyna had forced him and Jason to attend for posterity, he would find himself looking around. Most of the time he didn’t even know what he was looking for, who he was looking for, then he would hear a giggle or see one of those jerks who used to beat on him and he would remember. Hazel was never there, though. She kept herself far away from the New York social scene, which wasn’t something he could particularly blame her for. While the teasing and whispers about Frank had calmed down over the years, Hazel could never escape the reality of her identity – she would always be the illegitimate di Angelo child, a favorite target of malicious whispers from people trying to find some stupid way to feel superior.</p><p>It was the summer before sophomore year of college that Hazel came racing back into his conscious mind, in the form of her brother, Nico, arriving at the Grace apartment with a singular bag slung over his shoulder. “My dad kicked me out. Can I crash here for a while?” he asked, looking from Reyna to Thalia to Jason to Frank. Frank was never quite sure which of them he was asking. It didn’t matter, they all agreed without hesitation.</p><p>Hazel never came to the apartment herself, but Nico talked to and about her often. She’d moved into the city to attend NYU. Since she was doing what their parents wanted by actually going to school and Nico was not going to school in favor of pursuing his music, she was given the family brownstone to live in while Nico was given the boot. Frank kind of admired Nico for standing up to his parents in the name of his dream, though those first few days Nico lived with them Frank was also mildly terrified of the guy. Fear became a non-issue on the fateful Saturday morning he came out to the living room to discover neither Nico nor Jason had slept the night before because they’d been so caught up playing some video game that had just come out.</p><p>Frank picked up an extra controller and joined them. He never found Nico intimidating again.</p><p>The following summer was one of the laziest of Frank’s life, but also one of the happiest. Most of those  days were spent in the air conditioning playing one video game or another with the guys, or at the gym with Jason, or helping Thalia get her new club set up. They even went to a few of Nico’s shows – not the weddings, the actual shows his band played their own music at.</p><p>For the first time in over five years, at one of those very shows, Frank finally saw Hazel again.</p><p>Nico’s band, Mythomagic, was playing an old converted warehouse venue with poor lighting and poorer ventilation. The place was impressively crowded for a Thursday night, which meant it was sweltering, everyone covered in a thin layer of sweat almost immediately upon entry. Fortunately, Frank’s nose adjusted to the stench of body odor quick enough and it didn’t completely ruin his experience. Unfortunately, Frank was sweating through his clothes at an unprecedented rate. There was a very good chance his clothes would be more sweat than fabric by the end of the night.</p><p>Reyna had stayed behind since she had to work normal human hours in the morning, but Thalia and Jason were there with Frank and intent on making him enjoy his new status as a twenty-one year old. They were also making him run back and forth between their spots near the stage, though the crowd, to the bar in the back of the warehouse where drinks were being served. </p><p>It wasn’t too bad. The music was loud, and honestly not really Frank’s cup of tea, so he didn’t mind getting away from the noise when he could. He wasn’t paying much attention to what was going on around him while he waited at the bar for one the bartenders to get to him, just nodding along with the strange, but familiar, melody blasting through speakers on the other end of the venue. He was close enough to the two people waiting beside him that he could hear bits and pieces of what they were saying over the relentless, anxious strum of the electric guitar back on the stage, though.</p><p>“Just let me buy you a drink,” the guy was saying, his tone dripping with entitlement and sleaziness even when barely audible over the music.</p><p>“No thanks,” the girl said, already clearly annoyed. Her voice sounded familiar, but Frank figured his ears were just playing tricks on him over the sound of Mythomagic’s lead singer screaming in the background.</p><p>Unmoved by her tone and her clear, explicit no, the guy pressed on. “One drink. I promise you won’t regret it.”</p><p>“You’re not my type,” she replied flatly, and Frank’s lips quirked up in amusement.</p><p>“I’m everybody’s type,” the guy insisted.</p><p>At that point, even Frank couldn’t help taking a quick glance at the guy. Frank was not confrontational and hesitated to interfere in other people’s business as long as they were handling it themselves. There was a chance this could escalate into something ugly, though, so Frank wanted to be prepared to step in.</p><p>The guy was fairly tall, objectively not bad looking, with greased back black hair and teeth that were way too white to be natural, but he was nothing to write home about.  Whether it was the sneer on his lips or the predatory look in his eyes, the guy reminded Frank of every school bully he’d ever known, like a walking cliché, only they were adults and instead of beating on defenseless kids he was trying to coerce some woman just minding her business into giving him her time.</p><p>She, at least, was far from defenseless. “I doubt you’re even your momma’s type.”</p><p>Even over the screaming of Mythomagic’s lead singer, there was something about the way she said the word momma that gave Frank pause. It tickled the very back of his memory. His head snapped to the side, looking more closely at the young woman whose back was turned to him than he had when he’d made his initial once over of the guy. While she was still turned away from him, her recognized her then, beyond a shadow of a doubt – Hazel, no taller than the last time he’d seen her, with her hair pulled back in a green palm leaf bandanna that matched the sleeveless crop-top she wore. He only got a second to look before the bartender approached to ask for his order.</p><p>“Three of the…” Frank, fumbling to catch his brain up to his mouth, pointed at a bottle of beer displayed on the counter along with the rest of the bar’s selection, “those, please.”</p><p>Whoever it was hassling Hazel was interrupted in his attempt to snap back at her, because she turned toward Frank as soon as he spoke. “Frank?” she asked, as the bartender stepped away to get Frank’s beers, her whole face lighting up in surprise. Gold glitter was dusted on her eyelids, complimenting her irises in a way that made them look like they were actually made of precious metal. She took his breath away and any thoughts about what he might say that had been forming in his mind went up in a puff of smoke.</p><p>Confusion flickered across the face of the guy who’d been talking to her. “You know him?”</p><p>“You’re still here?” Hazel replied, sparing him only the briefest of nasty looks before turning her back on him completely. </p><p>That was Frank’s cue to rise to his full height from having been leaned over the bar counter. Over the years Frank had started to find himself. He was still far from confident, but he no longer cowered in the face of bullies like the jerk standing in front of him. It helped, too, that he’d learned his stature alone tended to be enough to scare them off. People like that didn’t pick on anyone their own size, let alone someone <em>bigger</em>. Frank was a lot bigger.</p><p>“Fuck this,” the guy grumbled after a quick assessment of Frank. A few more unsavory things were mumbled about Hazel and like that the guy was gone. He was lucky Frank wasn’t hot headed – and that Thalia wasn’t there – or those comments might have earned him a broken nose and a couple black eyes.</p><p>Hazel’s demeanor changed almost instantly once they were alone (Frank’s did too, because now he was nervous, anxious, probably seconds away from making a complete fool of himself). A small smile started to pull at her lips (Frank was amazed, because she was even more beautiful than he remembered, her face having filled out over the years since he’d last seen her, even though faces usually thinned with age, and then he was crossing into weird thought territory). Her shoulders relaxed (Frank was decidedly not thinking about how they were bare and very pretty, because thinking someone’s shoulders were pretty was deep into weird thought territory). </p><p>“Long time no see,” Hazel finally said, those changes in the way she was carrying herself only becoming more prominent as she leaned against the counter, reached up to check her hair, and continued to smile. These were good things, Frank thought, signs she at least didn’t mind talking to him and was comfortable enough standing there with him.</p><p>“Yeah, five or six years?” he offered, pulse quickening. They’d exchanged nine words and he hadn’t made a fool of himself yet.</p><p>“Are you here with–”</p><p>“Jason and Thalia,” Frank finished, “yeah.”</p><p>“Is Reyna here too?” she asked, her smile faltering and her eyes darting toward the crowd behind them.</p><p>Frank shook his head. “She has to work in the morning, stayed home.”</p><p>“Oh, that’s too bad,” Hazel replied, but the sigh she breathed and the way her shoulders once again relaxed made Frank think she was <em>relieved</em> to hear Reyna wasn’t present. That was odd. Frank thought Hazel and Reyna were fairly close, at least friendly.</p><p>The beers Frank had ordered arrived and he suddenly had no excuse to linger at the bar, but he wanted to, so he did. “The band is pretty good.”</p><p>“They’re okay,” Hazel replied, her shoulders shaking with a quiet laugh. “I only listen to them for Nico. It’s a little screechy for me, but he writes most of their stuff and I’m really proud of him, anyway.”</p><p>Back to music, which made sense, since they were at a concert. Frank wracked his mind trying to remember the name of that group she’d liked all those years ago – though that was stupid. Almost a full decade had passed since that day she’d saved him at Adventureland. She had probably moved on. If someone tried to bring up the things Frank had been into ten years ago he probably wouldn’t have known what to say to them.</p><p>No, that was a lie. Ten years ago he was into <em>Star Wars, Naruto</em> and <em>Zelda</em> and he was definitely still into all those things, even if he rarely talked to anyone but Jason or Nico about them.</p><p>While he was trying to think of something to say, a second bartender returned with what must have been Hazel’s order – two bottles of water and three trays of french fries. She said thank you and started collecting the bottles and paper trays, balancing it all carefully. “You should try these, they’re really good. Truffle oil, fresh garlic and herb seasoning,” she told him, holding up an order of fries to display. “No cheese,” she added, and he wasn’t sure if the twinkle in her eyes was just the lights from the stage catching them or something else entirely.</p><p>“Sure,” he said, and then she was on her way, weaving back through the crowd.</p><p>Disappointed, he watched her go, standing there at the bar like a doofus. Hazel stopped halfway to the stage, met by two guys who were instantly grabbing their fries from her hands. Frank had never seen either of them before – the tall one took one of the water bottles from her, smiling and nudging her with his elbow playfully, the shorter one was talking while he shoved a fry in his mouth and then draped an arm over Hazel’s shoulder. She smiled at them, wider than she’d smiled at him, happy and shining, and Frank was instantly jealous of both of them.</p><p>He ordered a tray of fries for himself all the same, and Hazel had been as right about them as she’d been the last two times he’d seen her.</p><p>It was over a month later when Frank was reminded of his irrational jealousy, sitting in the living room watching the morning news with Jason over breakfast. They were interviewing some guy, a swimmer named Percy Jackson, and he looked so familiar that Frank couldn’t stop staring, trying to place him. When the memory finally popped into his mind, he smacked Nico on the knee and pointed toward the screen.</p><p>“He was at your concert last month with Hazel,” Frank said when Nico looked up, annoyed, from his Switch. Nico and Jason both turned their attention to the TV for a few seconds.</p><p>“You know him?” Jason asked Nico, casually curious, eyebrows raised. Frank had never mentioned Hazel to Jason, or anyone for that matter, aside from telling them in passing he’d bumped into her at the concert. No one thought twice about him knowing or recognizing her, so he hadn’t had to explain either of their past encounters.</p><p>Nico watched the interview for a few more seconds and then nodded. “Yeah. His mom used to work for us, ran the house for a couple years. He’d come by to use the pool. Haze and I used to hang around him a lot.” </p><p>Jason’s interest was piqued. “Does he go to your concerts a lot?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” Nico said, a little defensive. “She lives with him at the brownstone now. Both semesters last year she took this swim class he TAs for just so she could hang out with him in the mornings, even though they live together. They’re always together, so probably he’s there whenever she is.”</p><p>“Is he her boyfriend or something?” Frank asked, panicking at the thought. The guy was seriously good looking, maybe even better looking than Jason who was so handsome Frank had spent most of his life feeling like a troll in comparison. If that was Hazel’s type, Frank never even stood a chance. His brow furrowed and he silently asked himself, <em>Stood a chance at what?</em></p><p>“Nah,” Nico replied, frowning as he once again looked at the TV. His defensiveness faded just as quickly as it had developed and his voice turned uncharacteristically tender. “Percy’s her hero, but I don’t think it’s like that for her, and it’s definitely not like that for him.”</p><p>Frank leaned back on the couch, his eyes focusing on the TV but his ears tuning everything out – including the follow up questions Jason asked Nico. An idea was forming in his mind. It was probably stupid. He was probably going to regret it. Just in case, he’d wait a semester, give himself a chance to back out once he’d thought it over properly.</p><p>That afternoon he went into the registrar’s office and switched around his schedule for spring semester.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Goldfish Crackers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>oh boy. this is very long. it's very long. i wrote this piece mostly to explore calypso's character in this universe, but also as a labor of love to my very dear friend who works so hard editing for me every other day (and sometimes more) and loves this pair deeply. not sure how it turned out <em>so</em> long, though. it just... did.</p><p>this accompanies events in chapters 56-60 in the main story!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Calypso <em>heard</em> the crash before she saw it.</p><p>She’d been on the other end of the garden, her hands buried in the dirt, the sun beating down on her and warming her skin as the breeze off the ocean simultaneously cooled it. At seventeen, it was the only place she was truly happy. Most of her life up until then that had been true and she hoped it would never change.</p><p>So, when some stringy teenage boy stomped through her flowerbeds and destroyed the small table set she’d <em>just</em> bought, getting angry was the natural response. Rage boiled her blood as she stormed through the garden toward the pile of wood, iron and <em>boy</em>. He was probably a guest, some quiet voice in the back of her mind reminded her, she should be polite to him, put on a congenial smile and ask if he was alright. The anger shouted much louder, indignant about the disruption to her sanctuary.</p><p>“What the hell?” she demanded, her hands on her hips as she tried to keep herself from shaking.</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m fine,” he replied, his nose wrinkling as he stared back at her, beginning to pick himself out of the rubble he’d left in his wake.</p><p>“And what about my table?” Calypso asked, her eyes scanning the wreckage and trying to figure out if there was any way to salvage it. Considering how many boards were broken – and the thin iron rods that stabilized it bent – she had a feeling it was a completely lost.</p><p>The table itself had been inexpensive in the grand scheme of things, but she’d been fighting her father over it for close to a year. He was stingy, refused to spend any money that was not entirely necessary for the operation of their business. Calypso had <em>worked</em> for it, taken on extra chores around the bed and breakfast, sacrificed sleep and personal time just because she wanted something pretty for her garden. Customers would enjoy it too, she knew, to be able to come out and sit in the garden with a glass of iced tea or a cup of coffee and soak in the sun among the flowers. That little, flimsy table was something hers and hers alone, except now it was gone, destroyed, and she knew there would be no second table so long as her father had a say in it.</p><p>“You can replace a table. I’m one of a kind,” he said, his words like a dagger through the heart, because the table <em>could</em> be replaced, yes, but it wouldn’t be.</p><p>“You’re definitely a kind of something,” a girl said from beside Calypso, coming over to offer the guy a hand up, and she turned her head to see a face she recognized – Hazel.</p><p>Over the years Calypso had run into the Jackson family a few times, knew Sally, Percy and Hazel well enough to recognize them, but not much about them. She’d heard Sally got married the summer before, mostly because her parents had been invited to the wedding, and something about Sally’s new husband having a son of his own, but nothing else. This must be him, a wiry boy with uncombed hair, too big ears, a stain on his shirt and an apparent gift for ruining things Calypso loved.</p><p>“Sorry about Leo here, Cal,” Percy said, appearing on Calypso’s other side. She hadn’t even noticed he was also there, which meant the whole family must have been, probably checking in. That confirmed they were guests and reminded her that she should probably be nice. It didn’t mean she would be.</p><p>“It’s not you who needs to apologize,” Calypso replied, returning her gaze immediately to the pile of scrap wood that had once been her beautiful, delicate table. Already the anger was beginning to make way for a much less palatable emotion, sadness. Tears stung her eyes and she did her best to blink them away, hoping no one would notice.</p><p>Leo was dusting off his jeans and looked at her. “I’m sorry, jeez. That thing had to be, what? Fifty bucks? I’ll pay you back for it.”</p><p>Knowing the kinds of teens who tended to come through Montauk in the summer, Calypso had more than an inkling of what those words meant. His parents would pay her back for it, Sally and her new husband. Calypso’s father wouldn’t like them having to pay for the table, would tell them not to worry about it in order to keep a good relationship with them, all while not caring about replacing it himself. It would be Calypso’s fault somehow, that it had been destroyed. She shouldn’t have put it so close to the walkway, or she should have picked one more sturdy, or she should have known there was no point in trying to put a table in the garden to begin with when so many people came through every day.</p><p>“Forget it,” Calypso muttered, glaring at Leo for a few more seconds before she turned around and marched back to the spot she’d been working in on the other side of the garden. Her tears fell then, and she felt stupid crying over a <em>table</em>, but cry over a table she did.</p><p>Nothing at The Golden Apple was Calypso’s. Her room was shared with one of her sisters, and though she had a handful of personal possessions, none of them meant much to her. The garden meant something to her, though. She had been working in that garden for as long as she could remember, first with her grandmother, and then on her own. Sometimes she’d even get in trouble for spending too much time in it when there were more important things for her to be doing, like cleaning or preparing meals for guests. It didn’t matter to her that no one else understood why she loved it, because it was hers, not something she did for anyone but herself.</p><p>The week dragged on and Calypso couldn’t get past the loss of her table. Her father had scolded her over the waste, as she’d expected, but she didn’t ask him for another one and so he dropped the subject quick enough. Every time she passed Leo in the halls, lobby or garden, she found herself glaring at him, the ache in her heart renewed at the reminder he represented. She couldn’t wait for the Jackson-Blofises to finish repairing their cabin so she wouldn’t have to see him anymore.</p><p>On the last night of their stay, Leo pulled up in their family Prius and unloaded a wooden table. It was larger than the one he’d destroyed, not the refined kind of tea table she had always envisioned for her garden space. The quality was better, though. Even just looking at it, she could tell it was much sturdier, would probably stand up to the elements better. There was also a third chair, where her original table had only come with two, and it did have a sort of rustic charm to it.</p><p>“What is this?” she asked, and her tone was more accusatory than she intended it to be.</p><p>“We had some leftover supplies from fixing up the cabin, so I put this thing together,” Leo answered, dropping down into one of the simple chairs. “Consider my debt paid.”</p><p>Calypso didn’t know what to say, so she huffed out her nose and went back to her work. <em>Thank you</em>, is what she should have said, but her mind was too jumbled to think of even those simple words. She’d told him to forget it, but he hadn’t. She’d expected he would just get his parents to replace her table, but he hadn’t. He’d built her replacement with his own two hands and done it well. </p><p>Guests loved that table. Almost every morning Calypso came out to find someone sitting at it, drinking their coffee, reading a newspaper or a book. In the afternoons they’d congregate there as they came and went from the beach. At night people would sit at it to talk, enjoy the coolness and fresh air of Montauk after dark. It was exactly what she’d hoped for.</p><p>Over the course of the summer, she saw Leo several more times, along with Percy and Hazel. Since they stayed the whole season for the first time, they started to integrate into the local crowd of teens, popping up at bonfire parties at the beach or hanging around at the usual spots around town. Instead of getting angry every time she saw Leo, though, Calypso felt guilty. She knew she should pass along her thanks. With every passing day, the table became more precious to her. Her pride, or maybe some degree of embarrassment, wouldn’t allow her to say a word. The summer came to an end and the Jackson-Blofis family returned to the city.</p><p>In the following year, Calypso graduated high school. She’d applied to the few schools with floriculture  programs and been accepted to all of them, but they were also all out of state, in the south. The small scholarships she managed to earn weren’t enough and her parents refused to help. Her sisters wouldn’t be getting any help when their time came, either, they reminded her, so it wasn’t fair for her to expect any. She sat at her table in the garden for a long time the day she realized she would not be able to chase her dreams. The small garden outside The Golden Apple would remain her only source of joy.</p><p>By the time summer rolled around again, she had thrown herself almost entirely into that garden. Convincing her parents to invest money into it was near impossible, but her father threw her a few scraps here and there so she could buy a new tree or seeds and bulbs to fill out the flowerbeds. Calypso fought for her garden, her sanctuary. She thought about getting a job to earn herself a little pocket money, but every time she even mentioned it in passing her father would start talking about how if she wasn’t going to be pulling her weight around the business, she’d need to pay rent or move out. Instead she would stay up late, scrolling through Facebook groups or Nextdoor, searching for anything and everything she could make use of but not have to ask her parents to pay for. Weekday afternoons, when things were especially slow, she’d drive the old family truck down to the dump and see if there was anything she could salvage. </p><p>It was one of those weekdays in early July when she ran into the Jackson-Blofises again. The five of them were stopping in for dinner – no, six of them. Percy was carrying a car seat, a curly haired baby girl snoozing in it. Leo and Hazel were pulling up the rear, brushing shoulders as they walked and taking awkward glances at each other. Calypso wasn’t sure why that detail stuck out to her so clearly and she shook the thought off.</p><p>Covered in grime after her trip to the dump, she’d just finished unloading a fountain someone had thrown out earlier that very same day. She’d been warned it didn’t work, but she didn’t care. It was all marble, with three tiered basins and a satyr at the top pouring water from a jug. She loved it. Already she was imagining what she might do with it – fill it with lights, or turn the basins into planters to pack it with flowers. Either way, it was going to look <em>perfect</em>.</p><p>“You gonna hook that thing up or just stare at it?”</p><p>Calypso turned to see Leo standing there, looking at the fountain with his head tilted to the side. He was dressed relatively nicely for his family’s night out and she noticed he’d grown a couple inches over the year since she’d last seen him, but his hair was still a mess and his ears were still too big. A pang of continued guilt for never expressing her thanks twisted her stomach and she had to look away just as quick as she’d set eyes on him.</p><p>“It doesn’t work,” she told him, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice. She was excited about what she might be able to turn it into, but it would be a lie to say she didn’t wish she could get a <em>working</em> fountain for her garden. Being reminded of her own limitations stung.</p><p>“So fix it,” Leo said bluntly.</p><p>She barked an indignant laugh, looking back over at him. “It can’t be fixed. Someone threw it out.”</p><p>“<em>Everything</em> can be fixed. Most people just aren’t willing to put in the effort,” he insisted. With an impertinence that left her completely speechless, he started rolling up his sleeves and headed toward the fountain. She watched as he poked around it, searching for where the mechanisms to operate it were located and beginning to examine them.</p><p>“Aren’t you supposed to be having dinner with your family?” Calypso finally asked, trying to wrap her mind around what was happening.</p><p>Leo shrugged, poking at the fountain innards tentatively. “It was stuffy in there.”</p><p>“The dining room is air conditioned,” she replied, continuing stare at him, the furrow of her brow deepening with every passing second.</p><p>“Air conditioning is stuffy.”</p><p>“That doesn’t make any sense.”</p><p>“This gear is rusted, that’s the main problem,” he said, pointing to a little piece of metal. “A few of the pieces around it are corroded, but they look like they might be able to work. Should probably replace them, though, or it’ll be broken again before long.”</p><p>She blinked at him, dumbfounded. It couldn’t be that simple if someone had thrown the whole fountain out, not when it was otherwise in good condition. “Where do I get those parts?”</p><p>“You could probably find them at any hardware store, but there are places online that are cheaper,” he told her, pulling out his phone and beginning to pull something up. Calypso continued to stare at him as the screen lit up his face. Not a minute later he showed her his screen, some website selling the necessary parts, just as he’d promised, except her stomach fell. Even that cheaper website had the parts listed at prices well outside her measly, nonexistent budget, and then she’d need to pay someone to fix the fountain for her once she had them.</p><p>“It’s doesn’t matter,” she said, shaking her head and straightening up. “I can use it as it is.”</p><p>“But it would look so cool if it were working,” Leo said, almost whining over the prospect of <em>her</em> fountain not being able to work as intended.</p><p>Her heart ached at the reality of her own limitations, but she swallowed the pain down. “You think I don’t know that?”</p><p>“I was just saying,” he mumbled, getting back on his feet as well and beginning to roll his sleeves back down. “You’re a real bucket of sunshine, you know that?”</p><p>Calypso didn’t answer, instead giving him another huff before she collected her things to head in for the night. It wasn’t fair that he’d gotten her hopes up, dangled the possibility of a working fountain in front of her nose only for it to be snapped away again. Getting together the supplies for her other ideas would be hard enough, but she at least knew she could manage them.</p><p>The sting of that loss continued to plague her as the next two weeks passed. Calypso decided to turn the fountain into a planter, but getting her hands on the flowers she wanted to fill it with would take time, so it simply sat there in the garden. At least it was beautiful. Even just as a statue, it added nicely to the ambiance of her garden. Slowly she would turn her small sanctuary into something truly extraordinary, even if it took her whole life, and even if she had to make concessions like settling for broken fountains.</p><p>At just eighteen she had resigned herself to the idea of <em>this</em> being her whole life, too. This was it. This was her world. The Golden Apple, her garden, the few stores in town, some beautiful stretches of beach, and the thousands of vacationers who came in and out of her life ever year, that was all she would ever know.</p><p>Leo showed up with a tool belt strapped to his waist and a bag of parts in hand halfway through the third week.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” Calypso demanded, watching from where she’d been pruning her hedges with a blend of horror and awe as he made a b-line for her fountain.</p><p>“Got the parts you need,” he answered simply, grinning ear to ear. “Gonna fix this fucker.”</p><p>Her eyes went wide and she dropped her sheers, rushing over to him – those parts were not cheap. She was not going to let him just fix her fountain for no reason, or worse, out of some continued sense of obligation after what had happened to her table the year before. “You <em>are not</em>. Where did you even get the parts?”</p><p>Despite her telling him not to, Leo dropped to the ground and popped open the panel to get into the fountain’s mechanisms. “I went to the hardware store in town. Guy who owns it is really cool, by the way.”</p><p>“Why would you buy these for me?” she asked, not being able to make sense of it. She was also about thirty seconds away from physically interfering just to stop him from installing any of the replacement parts.</p><p>“I didn’t buy them,” he told her, but didn’t explain any further.</p><p>“Did you steal them?” she pressed, and though she whispered the question, it was filled with an acute alarm.</p><p>He pointed his screwdriver at her and glared. “Leo Valdez is no thief.”</p><p>She crossed her arms, starring daggers back at him. “Oh, I’m sorry, how else am I supposed to guess you managed to get expensive parts without buying them?”</p><p>“I worked for them,” he said with a shrug, then returned his screwdriver to work. “There were a few things around the hardware shop that needed fixing – ironic, I know, but the owner’s been too busy to get to it himself, so he let me do it for him.”</p><p>“That’s basically buying them,” Calypso said, rolling her eyes. It was no different than if he’d worked for the money elsewhere and then used it to pay for them.</p><p>At that, Leo smiled, but didn’t look up from his work on the fountain. “Yeah, but it’s <em>not</em> buying them.”</p><p>“It still begs the question of <em>why</em>?”</p><p>Leo didn’t answer right away, but Calypso continued to stare him down as he worked, not that it seemed to bother him at all. “I don’t like leaving fixable things unfixed. This was fixable, and it seemed like you were upset about it being broken. Leaving it like this would have driven me crazy,” he finally said, and she could see in the fire behind his eyes how deeply that conviction ran.</p><p>Calypso continued to watch him work in silence after that, trying to figure him out and failing miserably. His tongue stuck out the corner of his mouth. The parts were all small, delicate, and he handled them carefully even as his fingers moved quickly. Tools were pulled out of his belt, used for a few seconds, then switched out for another. If she didn’t know better, she would have thought he was a professional fountain repair man.</p><p>“How do you know how to do this?” she asked, voice softer than earlier, less accusatory and more genuine curiosity.</p><p>“This stuff isn’t very complex,” he replied, not looking up. “I watched a couple videos on YouTube before coming over, but I probably would have been able to figure it out on my own. Didn’t want to risk messing it up worse, though, since it’s not my fountain, so I studied up.”</p><p>He <em>studied</em> in order to fix this fountain for her, on top of what he’d already done just to get the parts. None of it made any sense to her, even with his earlier explanation. </p><p>Squatting down next to him, Calypso watched as the finishing touches were put on the gears inside the fountain, rusted parts replaced with shiny new ones. Without realizing it, her heart began to race. It was happening, really happening, her fountain was going to work. None of that excitement made it to her face, though, because she was equally terrified about the prospect of it <em>not</em> working, even after everything Leo had done, and how crushing it was going to be to have her hopes dashed all over again.</p><p>Not an hour later, all fears were put to rest. Her smile was so wide it hurt as she gazed at her fountain, water pouring from the top and gently cascading down each tier. The trickling of the water sounded like magic, the mist it let off cooling the air around it. It was a dream come true, tucked there in the corner of her garden between rosebushes, picturesque and other-worldly. Calypso was so happy she felt like she might cry.</p><p>“See,” Leo said, grinning at her, “fixed is better.”</p><p>“Obviously,” Calypso replied, then chided herself for how ungrateful she sounded. Leo’s grin simply widened and for a few seconds her heart was racing, the thanks she knew she should speak yet again lost on her lips.</p><p>She didn’t see Leo again that summer, mostly because she wasn’t doing much aside from working in her garden. There were no beach parties or late nights at the diner in town for her that year, only work at the bed and breakfast and stolen hours in the garden. It was the life she was resigned to, but it wasn’t a terrible one, not when she could sit back at her table with an ice cold glass of lemonade or tend her flowers to the musical sound of water trickling down her fountain.</p><p>In the new year, Calypso managed to find a little work-life balance. She started seeing her friends again, going out with her sisters. Most of her time was still spent working in and on her garden, which was quickly becoming a local attraction of its own thanks to some very kind reviews of The Golden Apple online. It became easier for her to do other things because of that attention. Now that her garden was <em>profitable</em>, her father thought it was a grand idea to invest in it and didn’t mind so much giving her money to spend.</p><p>Along with her return to a semi-normal life, Calypso found herself falling back into some old bad habits. Specifically, <em>one</em> old bad habit – falling for boys who were only in Montauk for the summer.</p><p>She thought Percy might be different. She’d known him for years, seen him around, talked to him on occasion. He lived in the city, which wasn’t <em>too</em> far away, and both of them were old enough to drive. Even after the summer ended, surely they could figure out a way to make it work. A quiet, hopeful, part of her wondered if maybe it might even lead to <em>her</em> leaving for the city someday. Leaving her garden behind would be hard, but her love of it paled in comparison to the possibilities the world beyond held.</p><p>There was also the fact that he was extremely good looking, and over the last year had grown several inches and put on quite a bit of muscle. He was hot and she was human. When the Jackson-Blofises showed up to spend a week at the bed and breakfast while they made some home repairs, she couldn’t help noticing him, and she noticed him noticing her, too. By the end of that first week he asked her out.</p><p>They went on dates in town. One day Calypso packed a picnic and they spent the entire day from sunup to sundown on the beach together. When she had to work at the bed and breakfast, he would come over and steal her away at every opportunity. Her well manicured garden became the perfect venue for clandestine make out sessions. Percy didn’t even mind sitting around, baking in the sun while she worked in the dirt – and more often he would offer to help her, learning how to transplant flowers or prune hedges. All in all the summer passed sweetly, almost magically, and while she wasn’t looking forward to his needing to leave for school, that small part of her was still secretly hopeful about what the future could hold for them.</p><p>It wasn’t meant to be, though. Percy figured that out first. “I don’t think this is going to work, Cal.”</p><p>His words cut her as cleanly as any knife, shattering the little hint of hope she’d been nurturing for months. He continued on to explain himself more clearly, but Calypso only heard him vaguely and barely remembered anything he said. Mostly she wanted to get away, to escape the moment, the way her heart felt like it was splitting in two, and how angry she was at herself for daring to think there was anything for her in the world beyond her own garden.</p><p>In the late August days that followed, she threw herself back into the garden and found herself wondering about the last three months. Dating Percy had been fun, romantic, idyllic. Her heart certainly ached in mourning over what might have been, but she wasn’t sure if what she found exciting about those prospects was <em>Percy</em> or simply the potential of getting away he represented. Percy was sweet, hot, and a very good kisser, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized those were very shallow qualities she’d been clinging to in the name of something that had nothing to do with him.</p><p>“You got a bench.”</p><p>Calypso jumped at the sound of Leo’s voice. She was in the middle of getting the small section of her garden used for actually growing vegetables ready for fall, completely covered in dirt and sweat after a hard afternoon’s work in the sun. It took her a few seconds to get the pounding of her heart under control and in that time she brushed the loose dirt from her hands and stood. “It’s a nice place to sit.”</p><p>Leo was grinning again as he gazed at the fountain he’d repaired the summer before, and the bench she had installed beside it over the course of the year. She hadn’t seen much of him, even though she had been dating his brother and he’d been at The Golden Apple for that first week of summer, too. It had been as if he was avoiding her on purpose, something she’d thought about more than once, so to see him there, in her garden, was a surprise. A <em>pleasant</em> surprise, but she wasn’t about to admit it.</p><p>“Your mom asked for my mom’s cookie recipe, so I’m just dropping it by before we head back to the city tomorrow,” Leo explained, as if reading her mind.</p><p>“Your mom makes good cookies,” Calypso replied, nodding. Her mother was always looking for new recipes to try out on guests and Calypso had brought home some of Sally Jackson’s famous fresh baked chocolate chip cookies earlier that summer. In the madness of breaking up with Percy, Calypso had all but forgotten about her mom asking her to get the recipe.</p><p>“The best,” Leo agreed stiffly. She watched him pull a couple rubber bands and a paperclip from his pocket and begin to fiddle with them.</p><p>An awkward silence settled over them. It seemed like Leo wanted to say something, but was working up the courage. Calypso had no idea what she should say, but she wanted to speak just to break the tension. “I restored–” she started, at the same time Leo finally spoke up with, “He’s really–” They both stopped at once, a tense laugh passing between them, and then she signaled for him to go ahead.</p><p>“I was going to say, Percy’s really not that great, once you get past the shiny exterior,” Leo said, shrugging as his fingers continued to stretch and weave the rubber bands he was holding. He was unconvincing, though. Calypso could tell from his tone and the guilt in his eyes that he didn’t actually think Percy wasn’t that great. It was evident to her that he thought the opposite.</p><p>“He’s your brother,” she said, surprising even herself with the tenderness in her voice. The dynamics of Leo and Percy’s family still largely eluded her, but she knew beyond any doubt from her time spent with Percy how much the two of them cared about each other, loved each other. It had only been a few years since their parents had met and married, but the small detail of time had been of no consequence to Leo and Percy.</p><p>“Yeah, well, he sucks,” Leo replied softly, dropping his gaze to the rubber bands.</p><p>“You don’t mean that,” she insisted.</p><p>His jaw clenched for a second, and then he was looking at her again. Hurt and anger were written plainly on his face, and she was surprised by herself yet again because of how badly she wanted to make whatever had caused it go away. “Don’t tell me what I mean,” he said, words sharp, and it was a horrifying realization that, without intending to, <em>she</em> had been the cause of his expression. </p><p>“Sorry,” she whispered, unable to meet his eye and more confused about him than ever. That was saying something, since from the beginning she’d been at a loss when it came to what made Leo tick.</p><p>For a few seconds Leo didn’t say anything else, then his expression evened out and he cleared his throat. “It’s a nice bench. I like it.”</p><p>Calypso nodded, not knowing what to say. <em>Thank you</em>, her mind practically screamed, but the words were stuck in her throat. Yet again, he left without her being able to speak them.</p><p>Another uneventful year passed, and though Calypso continued to enjoy working in her garden, it was losing the charm it once held. More and more often her father had some opinion about what she was doing with it. The thing that had once been hers was slowly becoming for <em>everyone</em>. She’d wanted to share it, for their guests, and even her family, to find joy in spending time there among the flowers, bushes and trees, but not like this. It was all she had, though, so she powered through and hoped the joy would return to her once she got out of whatever funk she’d stumbled into.</p><p>She wasn’t even thinking about what time of year it was when she went to the grocery store on an afternoon in early June. They had more guests than they’d been expecting. Someone needed to make an emergency run before dinner. The task fell to Calypso, because her sisters didn’t like driving and only one body could be spared.</p><p>It was the only time she saw Leo that summer, from a distance, in the produce section. He was pushing a grocery cart. Leo was taller than Calypso remembered. He probably had a few inches on her at most, but definitely taller than before. His hair was still a mess and, even though he’d grown into the rest of his features, his ears were still too big. His little sister, Estelle, was sitting in the front of it. Just about two years old, the girl’s wispy brown curls were pulled into pigtails and she carried a bag of multi-colored goldfish crackers in her hand.</p><p>Calypso went unnoticed, but watched them for a minute or two with an odd fascination. Estelle ate one cracker, then held another up for Leo. He ate it straight from her hand and she laughed, delighted in the way exclusive to two year olds, before repeating the process. Every time she fed him a cracker, Estelle laughed, until one time, instead of taking the cracker, Leo pretended to try to eat her entire hand. She let out a jubilant scream that echoed off the grocery store walls and then dissolved into a fit of giggles. He just grinned at her, continuing on with his shopping and very clearly pleased with her reaction. They had returned to the routine of cracker sharing by the time he disappeared down another aisle.</p><p>The encounter was all but forgotten by the time she got home and was swept back up in the madness of meal service and attending to the nightly needs of guests. On occasion over the next weeks and months the image would pop into her mind again – when she was cleaning up her table in the garden, or when she was trimming the rose bushes by her fountain – and Calypso would laugh again. Eventually the memory faded almost entirely. She never could pass the goldfish crackers at the grocery store without smiling again, though.</p><p>When the next summer finally rolled around, Calypso was twenty-one and she felt <em>old</em>, ancient, like she’d lived for millennia and would live for millennia more, all in the little bubble that was the town of Montauk. Aside from the people who came in for vacations, she felt like she knew everyone there was to know. Even a lot of the regular vacationers were familiar to her. All of it was exhausting, the people, the work, her life’s endless monotony. For that reason she’d all but given up going out again, though her gardening had continued to fail bringing her the relief and escape it once had, too.</p><p>“You’re miserable, Cal. Come out just this once,” her sister Zoë pleaded, on an early August afternoon. Zoë was leaving come fall, getting <em>out</em>, joining a program working on environmental preservation run by some billionaire heiress that would let her travel the globe and save whales and tigers and elephants. While Calypso was happy for her sister, Zoë didn’t understand what being trapped felt like.</p><p>“I have things I need to do tonight, Zoë. There’s a lot of work to be done still,” Calypso lied. There was nothing particularly pressing that needed her attention, at least not once dinner service finished. “You go, have fun. Call if you need a ride home or something.”</p><p>“Stop with the self-flagellation already, Cal,” Zoë continued to insist, rolling her eyes. “You’re not a martyr. You don’t need to mope around this place all the time. It’s one night and you’re coming.”</p><p>So, Calypso went. The party was nothing spectacular or extraordinary – it was on the beach, there was a bonfire, people were drinking, there was music. All the usual suspects were present and accounted for. Zoë had wanted Calypso to go to the party to relax, have fun. Instead the party felt like yet another reminder of the boundaries that held her captive in her own life, the same places, the same faces.</p><p>“You look like you’re plotting a murder.”</p><p>Leo was drunk. She heard it in the slur of his words first, but then she saw it in the way he swayed even as he just stood over her as well. The murderous expression he accused her of wearing was instantly turned on him. “Are you even old enough to drink?”</p><p>“Like you’re so much older than me,” Leo scoffed, and took another long drag from the beer he was holding.</p><p>“Older enough that this,” Calypso said, lifting her own beer bottle to showcase it, “isn’t breaking the law, yes.”</p><p>“First of all, I turned twenty-one last month. And B, I know you used to drink in high school, so you’re a hypocrite,” he said with a shake of his head, unimpressed. It was true, she’d been drinking for years, though she’d never particularly enjoyed it. Lately it felt like she drank <em>less</em> than she had when she was underage. Maybe the concept of drinking had lost its charm now that she was allowed. She’d been there sitting in the sand with her beer for close to an hour and it was less than half finished, warm, and probably beginning to go flat.</p><p>She didn’t like her own train of thought so she continued to glare at Leo. “What do you want?”</p><p>“I came over to cheer you up, Sunshine,” he answered, then took another swig.</p><p>“Unlikely,” she replied, finally looking away to once again scan the party playing out around her. </p><p>The bonfire was blazing high and bright, with people ranging from young teens to mid-twenty somethings milling around it in various states of inebriation. Someone had pulled out the marshmallows to start roasting and she felt a pang of longing for the days she’d so looked forward to coming out to the beach on a cool summer night to have a few drinks and eat s’mores until all hours. Now it was barely past sunset, her beer was warm, s’mores didn’t even sound good, and she was already thinking about heading home.</p><p>“Want me to bring you one?” Leo asked, and when Calypso looked back at him she saw his gaze had followed hers over to where marshmallows were being passed around.</p><p>“No,” Calypso answered, heaving a defeated sigh.</p><p>“But you <em>love</em> s’mores,” he argued, pointing an accusatory finger.</p><p>Her nose wrinkled at that finger and the accusation it was making – it was the same thing Zoë had said earlier, that Calypso was being miserable on purpose, acting like a martyr. The only way out was trying to deny what he was saying. “Why would you think that?”</p><p>“I don’t know, maybe because I saw you eat like ten in one night once and then throw them all up into the ocean?” he said, his tone heavy with sarcasm.</p><p>Calypso balked. She remembered that night. One or two people always ended up puking into the ocean at parties like these, usually because they were drunk off their asses. That night she’d barely had anything to drink. It had been nothing but the s’mores for her. Someone had brought the most delicious chocolate she’d ever tasted to make them with, not just the cheap Hershey’s stuff they tended to use, and she’d not been able to stop. One of her sisters had held her hair back while she puked and she’d been teased about it for weeks after by everyone they knew. She didn’t remember Leo being there, though.</p><p>An uncomfortable constricting in her chest made Calypso want to scream. Before she’d made a conscious decision, she was on her feet, brushing the sand off her legs. “I’m leaving,” she announced, not even looking Leo in the eye before she stormed off. She didn’t leave, though. Calypso climbed into the old, beat up truck she still drove and immediately burst into tears. It was too much, more than she could take, and she couldn’t even understand <em>why</em>.</p><p>The inexplicable pain of that night never really left her. It simmered right beneath the surface, a dull ache that accompanied every single breath and movement. Zoë left in the fall, and with her leaving more responsibilities fell on Calypso’s shoulders. She’d always been the eldest, shouldered the largest burden among her sisters, and for that reason it was expected she pick up the slack rather than the younger girls who were still in school. That meant there was less time for her garden, not that she likely would have found any joy in it, either. More often than not, the opposite was true. Her garden had become part of her burden, not an escape from it.</p><p>There would be no escape for Calypso. She’d known that at eighteen and she knew it even better at twenty-two.</p><p>She was conflicted to see the Jackson-Blofis family checking in at The Golden Apple that following summer. They were great people, great guests, but Calypso already felt so tangled up with them. Seeing Percy was awkward, though not particularly painful. Leo grated on her, even just <em>seeing</em> him reminding her of the pain in her chest that had started the summer before and never eased. Hazel was fun to be around, though, and Estelle was quite possibly the funniest four year old who had ever lived.</p><p>On the first night the Jackson-Blofis family were at the bed and breakfast, while Calypso had been rushing around both busing and waiting on tables in the middle of dinner, Estelle had grabbed her sleeve and stopped her. All five of the adults around the table stared at the small girl wide eyed, a look Calypso was sure she reflected. “What can I help you with?” she asked, treating Estelle with the same courtesy she would have given any grown customer – even four year olds deserved respect.</p><p>Estelle grinned, her wide eyes twinkling and her brown curls tied back in a bouncy pony-tail. “What do cows drink?” she asked. The others relaxed along with Calypso. Estelle just wanted to tell a joke.</p><p>“Do they drink milk?” Calypso replied, her tone softening to something more familiar and playful. She didn’t really expect that to be the answer to Estelle’s joke, she was just trying to play along. She was apparently very wrong.</p><p>Panic flashed in Estelle’s eyes. Her joke was ruined, but every eye was on her, waiting for the punch line. “No,” she answered, and Calypso could see how hard she was thinking based on the way her nose wrinkled and brow furrowed.</p><p>“What do they drink, Stella?” Sally encouraged, as the seconds ticked by and an answer to the riddle had not yet been delivered.</p><p>Looking from Calypso, all around the table, Estelle’s small mouth set into a determined line. “Chicken blood.”</p><p>It had been years since Calypso had laughed so hard and so freely. She was lucky she hadn’t been carrying any dishes, because she would have dropped them all when she had to brace herself against her knees. The rest of the table joined her in that laughter, filling the whole dining room and making all the other guests turn heads their way. When Calypso finally righted herself there were tears in her eyes, but they were happy tears. As she went back to work, she heard Sally telling Estelle that the joke was <em>very</em> good, but that it probably wasn’t a good idea to tell it to anyone else in the future. </p><p>All night Calypso was fighting the giggles while she worked. Another guest ordered chicken and it was all she could do not to fall over laughing again. Her mind was full of vampire cows when otherwise it would have been full of her usual anguish and, for that reason, time flew. Suddenly she was climbing into bed, sore from a hard day’s work but not bogged down. The smile on her face didn’t fade as she slowly drifted to sleep.</p><p>Later that week, when she went out to finally get some gardening done, she found Hazel in the middle of it, sitting on a collapsible stool with an easel set up in front of her and a paintbrush in hand. From the looks of it, she’d only just started, but she was painting the corner of Calypso’s garden where the fountain was displayed, surrounded by rose bushes and a bench beside it. While it had been a long time since Calypso had found any true joy from that garden, seeing someone admire it so deeply they wanted to <em>paint</em> it managed to make her heart stir slightly.</p><p>“Will I be disturbing you if I start working here?” Calypso asked, voice quiet so as not to startle Hazel while she had a brush in hand.</p><p>Hazel looked up from her canvas and smiled. Her hair was pulled back and there was a line of green paint on her cheek. “Not at all. I hope you don’t mind, but I kept coming back here the last few days and couldn’t help myself.”</p><p>Calypso shook her head to dispel any concern. “I can’t wait to see the final product.”</p><p>“I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out,” Hazel admitted, her nose wrinkling as she returned her attention the canvas. “I don’t have the right colors for the rose blossoms. I can probably mix something together to get close, but even then I’m not sure I can match it. I’ve never seen them that shade of peach before, but I love it.”</p><p>Standing beside Hazel, Calypso gazed over at the bushes in question. The roses had only just started to bloom, but they had always been one of the things she was most proud of. While the outer petals were so light they were almost white, with each layer moving inward their color became more saturated, the center petals a soft, deeply pigmented shade of peach. In mid June, the gradient was less pronounced, but as the weeks passed and the flowers bloomed, it would become exaggerated to the point they almost didn’t look real, even though she tended them with her own hands.</p><p>It had been so long since she just stopped to appreciate her own garden, the carefully curated and cared for collection of flowers, bushes, trees and hedges. All the time she’d spent on that space must have added up to weeks or months, maybe even years. Clearly it had been time well spent, because she’d managed to create something so beautiful it attracted guests to their bed and breakfast and, now, inspired artists.</p><p>“Do you usually paint landscapes?” Calypso asked, watching as Hazel dipped her brush in the paint on her palette and once again started to work at capturing the view.</p><p>“It’s what I’m best at,” Hazel confirmed, her eyes trained on the canvas before her. “Sometimes I have to do other things for school assignments and they always turn out terrible. Last year I had to paint a portrait. My brother posed for me and his eyes turned out completely different sizes, his eyebrows all wonky and weird looking. He said it looked like he was passing gas. Once I’d been graded for it, he told me he’d never speak to me again if I didn’t burn it.”</p><p>Calypso couldn’t help laughing. “Did you?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Hazel confirmed with a warm laugh of her own. “Painting people from afar is easier, though, in the background of landscapes. I think including people often gives the scene a kind of life of its own, a story. All the best paintings tell stories.”</p><p>“What story will this one tell?” Calypso asked softly, her gaze traveling back to the picturesque scene of the garden. The answer was surprisingly important to her. It mattered immensely what story this garden told, a thought that had never occurred to her before. All of Calypso’s value was tied to this singular garden, to the gradient in those roses or the placement of her fountain and bench. If it didn’t tell a story, if it wasn’t at least in some small way <em>important</em>, she thought it might shatter her heart entirely.</p><p>Hazel let her paintbrush fall and tilted her head, gaze becoming distant as she switched focus from the canvas to the garden itself. “A story of healing, and breaking, and healing again – like the roses that bloom, wither, and bloom the next season, or the water in the fountain that rises to the top, poured from that satyr’s jar, then descends down each tier, only to return to the same point. Right now it’s hopeful, because the flowers are blooming, coming back to life and prepared to make the world more beautiful, full of hope for the future. They’ll eventually wither, yes, but that makes this moment all the more precious.”</p><p><em>Healing.</em> Calypso had been there, in her sanctuary, safe from the world and the weight of her responsibilities, happy, content. <em>Breaking.</em> That’s where she was now, broken and lost, not sure of what she wanted or how she could get it, if even she could, her joy robbed of her in the name of obligation and profits. <em>Healing</em>. She wanted to be there again, needed desperately to be there again, but she wondered if it was even possible for her anymore.</p><p>“I’m really looking forward to seeing it,” Calypso repeated in a whisper, blinking back the tears beginning to form in her eyes. She decided to work elsewhere in the garden that afternoon, even though Hazel had assured her there was no risk of disruption, because she wasn’t sure her heart could take thinking about what might be.</p><p>Calypso did get to see it. Two weeks later, after the family had already checked out and headed to their own cabin for the summer, Hazel returned with the finished painting. She gave it to Calypso as a gift, insisting she painted it just for the enjoyment and wanted Calypso to have it. It was stunning, not so realistic or detailed it could be mistaken for a photograph, but so full of life Calypso could practically feel the breeze or hear the trickle of the fountain just looking at it. The painting told its story and told it well, and every time Calypso looked at it, some small part of her hoped her cycle of healing, breaking and healing again had not simply ended up stuck on the <em>breaking</em>. If it was going to get stuck, it would be much better for the <em>healing</em> to be where that happened.</p><p>Life sure enjoyed making it hard for her to get to healing in the subsequent months. Even in the off season they were busier than usual at the bed and breakfast. Her days blended together, an endless cycle – wake up, serve breakfast, clean rooms, serve lunch, run errands, garden, serve dinner, sleep. Calypso understood life wasn’t all fun and games. She knew she had it easier and better than a lot of people out in the world. There had to be something more, though. This couldn’t be all life had to in store for her.</p><p>Except it was, a point made clearer than ever on a Friday night in late March. She was driving home from doing a favor for her father, exhausted, hungry, just trying to navigate the dangerously dark back road The Golden Apple was located on in the middle of a hellish rainstorm, and her truck decided to give out on her. Calypso managed to get it to the side of the road, and that was it. She was still at least three miles from home, rain was coming down in sheets, and she’d been stupid enough not to bring a jacket because she hadn’t anticipated needing to get out of the truck.</p><p>Any remaining hope drained out of her as she stared out that windshield, listening on the phone to her own father telling her there was no time for anyone to come get her. Dinner service was starting any minute and it was all hands on deck. Getting a tow truck out that time of night, in the midst of all that rain, was going to be near impossible, and taxis and ride share services weren’t too fond of traveling out that far. She was stuck and it was such an obvious metaphor for her life as a whole she wanted to scream.</p><p>She <em>did</em> scream. Calypso screamed until her throat was sore. She pounded on the steering wheel. She kicked the floor of the truck cabin. It was a temper tantrum, the childish kind of thing she didn’t even do as a child, but as her tears spilled over and she let out yet another visceral scream, there was no room left in her heart to care.</p><p>When headlights came up behind her, Calypso didn’t expect anything, but then the car pulled to the side of the road ahead of her and someone got out. She’d cranked her window down just in time to make Leo’s face out through the rain. A confusing rush of emotions went through her so quickly she didn’t have time to even catalog them all. Instead of trying, she brushed her tears away and hoped it wouldn’t be obvious she’d just had a small meltdown.</p><p>“What are you doing here?” she demanded, as soon as he was within ear shot, speaking louder than usual to be heard over the rain.</p><p>“Pretty sure that’s the question I’m supposed to be asking you,” Leo replied, his lips spread into an easy grin even as he was pelted by rain. He at least had a jacket on, but it wasn’t going to do much in the face of such an onslaught. Five minutes, tops, and his clothes would be soaked all the way through.</p><p>“I just like to sit in my truck, on the side of the road, in the freezing cold,” she said, oozing sarcasm and bitterness that was neither Leo’s fault nor his burden to bear. Seeing him, there, at this moment of all times, just brought back her urge to throw a tantrum. Calypso wasn’t sure why he infuriated her so much, when he’d been nothing but kind to her over the years. It couldn’t have been the table, not when it felt like a lifetime ago he’d shattered that cheap set and then replaced it with something so much better.</p><p>Leo never seemed bothered by her sharpness, though. His smile didn’t fade. “Pop the hood, Sunshine. I’ll take a look and see if I can get you back on the road.”</p><p>“It’s pouring rain,” she objected, blinking in surprise. Vaguely, she remembered Leo and Percy talking about the cars they’d fixed up together, knew he was good with such things and probably perfectly capable of repairing whatever had gone wrong with her truck given proper tools and time. In the middle of a storm was not the time for him to be trying, though.</p><p>“Just pop the hood,” he repeated. “I’ll go get a flashlight out of my trunk.”</p><p>Without giving her a chance to argue, he turned and headed back toward his own car. Calypso heaved an annoyed sigh and did as he had asked, popped the truck’s hood, and then she opened the door and slipped out of it. Rain be damned, she was not going to just sit there while he caught pneumonia fumbling around with some stupid flashlight on her behalf. Once out front, she opened the hood and propped it up so they could hopefully get this done as quickly as possible.</p><p>“I can handle this,” Leo shouted over the rain as he made his way back to the truck. His flashlight barely cut through the thick sheets coming down around them. It was freezing cold, each raindrop stinging her skin like a pellet from the sky. Her shirt was white, but it was dark and she didn’t have it in her to feel self conscious about that at the moment.</p><p>“You need someone to hold your flashlight,” she insisted, holding her hand out to take it from him.</p><p>“I can hold it like this,” Leo said, and instead of handing it over, he stuck the butt of it in his mouth.</p><p>The urge to scream that overtook her was completely different than the one she’d suffered from earlier. Instead of heartbreak and hopelessness, she was exasperated, annoyed, and, while she’d never admit it, a little amused. “You’re an idiot,” she mumbled, reaching over to snap the flashlight away from him, wrinkling her nose at the fact it was now slobbery on the end.</p><p>Leo’s smile returned and, though she turned to shine her light on the truck’s engine, he stopped to instead take off his jacket and drape it over her shoulders. When she stared at him in surprise, he didn’t say anything. The jacket was already almost soaked through, but it did enough to negate the force of the rain that she at least didn’t have to suffering the stinging cold of each drop. Her wearing it meant he did, though. Leo acted unaffected and leaned over the engine to began to examining it.</p><p>Calypso had never learned much about cars. She could change a tire and check her oil, but that was about the extent of her knowledge. Leo clearly knew a lot, though. His eyes scanned the machine with great speed, so intense she had no doubt in her mind he was giving it the utmost scrutiny. As his hands moved with expert accuracy poking at parts and checking whatever it was he needed to check, Calypso was reminded of the way he’d so easily repaired her fountain, something she’d had no hope of ever working again. For a few seconds she actually started to think he might get her truck working again, too.</p><p>“Think I see the problem,” he finally said, pointing to something Calypso couldn’t identify. “Replacing that belt should get you home, but you’ll need to have a few other things fixed soon, too. Let me check if I have the part.”</p><p>“Why would you have the part?” she asked, too confused by the possibility to care that they were in the middle of the rain and probably shouldn’t be wasting time chatting about why Leo had random car parts on him.</p><p>He shrugged and another grin blossomed on his lips. “I keep spare parts in my trunk in case I run into out of luck souls like yourself.”</p><p>She stared in his wake as he jogged back to his own car, speechless. How many times had he stopped in the middle of the rain to help someone with a broken down car, how many fountains had he repaired or tables had he built, she wondered. Undoubtedly he’d done it with a smile on his face every time. All those other people had probably at least had the decency to express their thanks. They probably hadn’t snapped at him every time he showed up to help, either.</p><p>“Don’t have your part,” Leo reported when he returned, his shoulders slumped and his face contorted with guilt. There was no reason for him to feel bad. He’d done his best to help her, more than probably anyone else in the world would have done, and she had the distinct impression he would have done the very same thing for a complete stranger.</p><p>“You tried,” she told him. Finally, after all those years, she managed to smile and add a very genuine, “Thank you.”</p><p>The smile Leo gave her in return was much softer than his usual, cocky grins and she told herself the way her heart was racing in reply was just some physical response to how cold she was becoming out there in the rain. “Hop in Festus. I’ll get ya home.”</p><p>“<em>Festus</em>?” she asked, taken aback, but he was already closing her hood up and heading to his car. All she could do was rush to grab her keys, lock the truck up and follow him. </p><p>As soon as they were in the car Leo had the heat blasting through the vents. His backseat was packed with groceries – they must have just come in to Montauk, probably for Spring Break. She wondered if the whole family was there, or if it was just him, Percy and Hazel. Must have been the whole family, based on how much he’d bought. Even Percy couldn’t eat that much food all on his own.</p><p>“The cabin’s closer, you know,” Leo said, once they were on the road again. “I bet Percy’s got the fire going and Hazel could give you a change of clothes.”</p><p>Calypso considered the offer for a few seconds. They weren’t expecting her back at home any time soon. A night off, even just a few hours, would be great. “They wouldn’t mind me dropping in?”</p><p>This time Leo hesitated, but a few seconds later he put on his signature grin. “Nah.”</p><p><em>Nah</em>, was definitely the opposite of the correct response to her question, something Calypso discovered a few minutes later when they walked into the Jackson-Blofis cabin. The family wasn’t there, but it wasn’t just the three Calypso knew so well. They were there with friends, four people Calypso had never seen before. One she was fairly certain, based on the way he had been curled up with her on the couch, was Percy’s girlfriend.</p><p>It certainly could have been worse, and for a while there at the beginning Calypso was half expecting to be given the boot. They did not give her the boot, though. She was introduced to the new faces, invited to stay for the rest of the night, since the storm outside continued to rage and her clothes were being washed and dried. As they pulled out alcohol and started to play games, she was included. Playing with them was almost as awkward as she would have expected, and she kept sending her angriest glares in Leo’s direction, but she managed to relax and loosen up as the night progressed.</p><p>Not relaxing was difficult when Percy and one of the new faces, Jason, spent most of the night with underwear on their heads after a brilliant pair of dares while playing <em>Truth or Dare</em>. It would have been nearly impossible not to relax after the whole group had lost their minds laughing when Leo made out with his own hand – and, honestly, it was disgusting but she was oddly impressed with how shamelessly he’d performed. Some of the ease that had taken her over faded when the bottle landed on her and she faced the possibility of a truth from a stranger for the first time.</p><p>Thankfully, Frank seemed like a thoughtful and kind person. His question was earnest and hit surprisingly close to home, figuratively and literally. “Have you ever thought of leaving Montauk?”</p><p>For a few seconds Calypso considered taking a drink to avoid answering the question. Whether it was the alcohol she’d already had that evening or just the all consuming hopelessness she’d been keeping to herself for so long becoming too much to hold back any longer, she decided to answer. “I have,” she said, glancing around the group. “I do still.”</p><p>After she’d spoken the words into the world, Calypso found herself looking over at Leo. He was staring back, wearing an expression she’d never seen before. It made her heart ache in a way much worse than the usual pain she’d grown so accustomed to, a sensation she attributed to how much she’d had to drink and decided not to think about.</p><p>Alcohol being the culprit causing her strange feeling seemed even more likely when she woke up the next morning with the headache to end all headaches. Hazel was snoring lightly beside her in a large, fluffy bed she only half remembered getting into the night before. Sun was just beginning to spill into the room through the back window. Calypso was so used to waking up first thing in the morning, even hungover her body insisted she be up with the sun.</p><p>Only Jason and Leo were awake and in the kitchen when Calypso made her way out. Jason was nursing a cup of coffee at the dining table while Leo was shuffling around the kitchen, getting ready to start breakfast. It was Jason who saw her first, giving Calypso a friendly smile. “’Morning, Cal. Sleep well?”</p><p>“As well as could be expected,” she replied with a wince. Drinking always made Calypso sleep strangely, as if she spent the whole night on the ledge between slumber and wakefulness, never quite able to cross over fully into one or the other. That was largely why she avoided it for the most part. “I hope you managed better, though?”</p><p>“I didn’t drink as much as the rest of you, so I’m mostly fine,” Jason answered, his kind smile widening. Calypso hadn’t noticed the night before, but in the morning sunlight she saw he had a small, white scar on the corner of his mouth, a curious place for an injury. She found herself itching to ask about it, wanting to know more about this person she’d only just met in a way she hadn’t been curious about anyone in a long time. </p><p>All night she’d felt that way – about Frank who Hazel couldn’t keep her eyes off of all night, about Piper and Jason who she understood were a couple despite their very prominent differences, and especially about Annabeth. It wasn’t jealousy that drove her curiosity about Annabeth, not really. Calypso had fully expected Annabeth to be cold, reject her even though she’d been allowed to stay. It would make sense, considering she had been involved with Annabeth’s boyfriend, and being uncomfortable with a significant other’s ex was only natural, but that hadn’t been the case. Annabeth had been welcoming to a degree Calypso wasn’t sure she deserved, and definitely didn’t understand.</p><p>“Don’t worry about me,” Leo said from the kitchen counter, the sarcasm in his voice making Calypso need to take a deep, calming breath. “I slept just fine. On the floor. In the cold. With Percy drooling everywhere. It’s worse when he’s drunk, you know.”</p><p>Considering she was still angry with Leo for not telling her the full situation she’d been walking into the night before, Calypso thought she deserved an award or two for not walking right into the kitchen and turning one of those knives into a murder weapon. “I’m sure every ounce of drool you suffered was well deserved.”</p><p>“No one deserves Percy drool,” he replied, pointing at her with the knife he’d just picked up to begin cutting up tomatoes.</p><p>“Says the person pointing a knife at someone,” she said, her lips setting immediately into a scowl.</p><p>At least Leo had the sense to look apologetic for it. “My point stands. Percy drool is cruel and unusual punishment.”</p><p>With a sigh, Calypso made her way into the kitchen, taking stock of what Leo had pulled out to start preparing. The counter was already a mess – fruits and vegetables scattered around, three whole cartons of eggs, a loaf of bread, shredded cheese, bacon, sausage, all the ingredients needed to make pancakes from scratch. Just the sight of so much disorganization made her feel antsy. It was a recipe for disaster, either an injury or cross contamination or both. She didn’t even ask before starting to clean the space up, ignoring Leo’s instant objections about her messing up his <em>system</em>. That was no system, it was chaos.</p><p>“Can you take me home after breakfast?” she asked, in the midst of scolding Leo for the way he was chopping his peppers – seriously, he was going to take a finger off – and getting enough pancake mix for eight very hungry and hungover people ready.</p><p>Leo stared down at his cutting board in silence for a few seconds, hands stilled. “Yeah, sure.”</p><p>She pretended not to hear how tense those two words were, and she ignored the way the prospect of leaving, going home and back to the monotony of her real life, made her eyes sting. There was still so much she wanted to learn about the four she’d met the night before. All of them seemed like such good, interesting people. The night before she’d witnessed so many expressions of love. Not just romantic love, though there’d been plenty of that, but platonic and familial love, too. Sweet stories had been told in the name of truths and Calypso was hungry for more of them.</p><p>There was also something surprisingly soothing about being there in the kitchen, her hands working in such familiar ways, her shoulder brushing with Leo’s as they struggled to share the space allotted to them in the small kitchen. It was nice to make a meal for friends rather than guests or customers. Not to mention, she kind of adored the high pitch Leo’s voice took any time she scolded him about burning bacon or overcooking eggs.</p><p>“Wait, do we have anything for Piper to eat?” Leo asked, freezing as he scanned the array of foods grilling in pans on each of the stoves burners – the bacon and sausage, Calypso’s pancakes, his own breakfast sandwiches. “Did you use milk and eggs in the pancakes?”</p><p>Calypso blinked back at him. “How else would I make pancakes?”</p><p>“Oh shit,” he mumbled, beginning to look around the kitchen frantically.</p><p>“What’s the problem?” she asked, glancing back at the others around the table – Jason had been joined by Frank and Hazel shortly after the cooking had started, and most recently Piper had arrived, chugging water as fast as humanly possible and looking dead on her feet from all she’d had to drink the night before.</p><p>He flipped his sandwich about two seconds before it was going to burn and then went back to panicking. “I can’t remember if Percy said Piper was vegetarian or vegan. If she’s vegan we don’t have anything for her to eat.”</p><p>“There was cheese on her pizza last night,” Calypso assured him with a shake of her head. “You’re fine.”</p><p>“Was there?” he asked, and for once she didn’t think he was questioning her to be difficult. Real concern colored his eyes, fear he’d not properly prepared for the meal and his friends, that someone might go hungry because of his unintentional negligence. At that very moment they could hear Piper praising the way breakfast smelled to the others, the words only serving to make the distress on Leo’s features deepen.</p><p>She was certain there had been cheese on Piper’s pizza the night before, though. “There was, but if you’re not sure, ask her.”</p><p>Doubt flashed across his features as he glanced at Calypso, then he turned to face the four at the table behind them. In the second it took to turn, all doubt was replaced with an easy, arrogant grin. “You eat eggs and cheese, right?”</p><p>“I do,” Piper confirmed. “Just keep the meat away from me and I’m good.”</p><p>“I told you,” Calypso said with a huff, wondering why he had doubted himself so readily when it was plain as day he’d put thought and care into planning this meal for his friends. “Were you paying attention to anything last night?”</p><p>“Nope,” Leo answered, and returned his attention to the griddle in front of him. He acted nonchalant about it, but she could tell the difference in him, relief written on his face in the form of a subdued, pleased smile.</p><p>Percy and Annabeth joined the group as breakfast was almost ready to be served and Calypso got lost in the lighthearted, fun nature of conversation among the group. A small part of her had worried Annabeth might be having second thoughts about her presence there in the light of morning, but that worry was for naught. While still mutually cautious, Annabeth continued to be charitable toward Calypso, friendly even. With a laugh shared between them at Percy’s expense, Calypso decided she liked Annabeth very much.</p><p>“I asked Leo to take me back into town after breakfast,” she told the group, once they were all mostly done with breakfast. Her heart ached over having to leave, but she knew it was for the best. The last thing she wanted to do was overstay her already tenuous welcome. “Thank you all for letting me stay last night.”</p><p>Hazel’s shoulders slumped. “Do you have to go already?”</p><p>Calypso reached out to cover Hazel’s hand with her own, a smile tugging at her lips over the disappointment in Hazel’s voice. If Calypso hadn’t already felt welcome, that sweet tone would have been more than enough to make her. “I really should. My sisters have already sent me a dozen texts complaining that I left them alone to handle breakfast on a Saturday. If I’m not back by lunch they’re going to lose their minds.”</p><p>“Thank you for <em>this</em> breakfast,” Annabeth said, her voice so warm Calypso was once again brought up short at how generous a welcome she was giving. Everyone else around the table began to pile on the thanks and Calypso did her best to smile, but really the praise was a little overwhelming. It was less work than she did most days for breakfast and it hardly felt like anything in comparison to the kindness they’d all shown the night before.</p><p>“No need to thank me,” Leo interjected, leaning back in his seat and holding up his hands. “I just grilled all the meat and made all the sandwiches.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t even have managed that right if I hadn’t noticed the bacon was about to burn,” Calypso snapped back, the sudden purse of her lips and narrowing of her eyes almost an instinctual response to his tone at that point, even if she was secretly thankful to him for diverting the attention away from her. “And you really don’t know how to chop vegetables properly. You’re going to take a finger off someday with the way you flail those knives around.”</p><p>“I handle delicate and heavy machinery on a daily basis. I’m not afraid of kitchen knives,” Leo replied with a smug grin and a shrug of his shoulders. He sounded cocky, looking the part, but she’d watched him adjust the way he was chopping every time she brought attention to what he’d been doing wrong, taking her advice in earnest.</p><p>Fighting back her smile was difficult, but she held his eyes without backing down. “Don’t come crying to me when you’re short a pinkie someday.”</p><p>“People don’t even need pinkies anyway. They’re disposable,” he argued, and his smile was growing, but it wasn’t the farcically confident one he wore so often, it was full of mirth.</p><p>Her heart was doing that thing again as she looked at him, the racing, fluttering, ticklish thing she always tried to excuse as unrelated to his presence. “They account for half your hand strength. Without them you’d probably have trouble with all that <em>delicate and heavy machinery.</em>”</p><p>“That sounds fake.”</p><p>“Why would I make that up?”</p><p>“Because you enjoy being a pain in my ass.” Leo said those words with so much certainty and affection, it took her aback. </p><p>He was right. She did enjoy it, though she’d never realized it herself. Calypso enjoyed bickering with him, enjoyed even more the way he never let her curt words slow him down or scare him off. Not once had she ever felt a need to censor herself when talking to him, and sometimes she’d regretted the harshness of her own words, sometimes that harshness shouldn’t even have been directed at him, but he’d never held it against her. With six other pairs of eyes on them, though, she was not in a place to figure out what all those feelings meant.</p><p>Huffing, she rolled her eyes and instead grumbled, “You’re insufferable.”</p><p>“Good thing you won’t have to suffer me again after today,” he told her. He tried to keep his tone playful, but there was an edge to it. Calypso didn’t like that edge. In fact, she very much hated it. </p><p>She snorted, because if there was one half decent thing she could count on in her miserable life, it was Leo Valdez returning one way or another, and she refused to admit how much the edge in his voice terrified her. “You’ll be back in a month or two, you always are.”</p><p>“Not this time,” Leo said with a shake of his head, his words weighted heavily with finality. It was as if her heart stopped entirely in that moment. “I’m heading north to Massachusetts after graduation. I’m <em>so</em> good with delicate and heavy machinery they want me working on research up at MIT while I get my master’s. I probably won’t be back here for years.”</p><p>“Oh,” Calypso said, no other words coming to her as she fought to restart the beating in her own chest. She settled with her arms crossed and her chin raised. “Well, congratulations, then.”</p><p>Only vaguely after that did she hear Jason and Frank offer to do dishes. Calypso’s mind was muddled and she felt lost in a way she never had before. Her clothes had been washed and dried the night before, so she changed back into them, said goodbyes at the door, and then she was slipping back into the passenger seat of Leo’s car.</p><p>The Golden Apple wasn’t particularly far from the Jackson-Blofis cabin, but Leo drove a little under the speed limit, dragging the trip on longer than was necessary. Calypso decided not to mention it.</p><p>Trees and street signs and other houses passed as Calypso stared out the window. She knew this road like the back of her hand, was so familiar with the sights passing by that she would bet she could draw every last detail from memory if she were asked. Miles of road and she knew it all. A few things had changed over the years, but not enough. Most of that stretch was the same it had been the day she was born, and she was sure it would be exactly the same the day she died, no matter how many decades she lived. For some people that type of consistency might have been ideal, but not for her. For Calypso it was suffocating.</p><p>Calypso didn’t need grand adventures or some glamorous adventure around the world, but she did need something, anything else. She couldn’t take the sameness any longer. She wanted to drive down streets she couldn’t picture with her eyes closed and learn the details of strangers’ lives and wake up in unfamiliar beds. She hated watching other people go, leave at the end of summer, go back to their more exciting lives elsewhere. She couldn’t stand being nothing more than a layover in the stories of other people’s lives anymore.</p><p>A layover, she wondered if that was how Leo saw her, an amusement to fill muggy summer days, but barely a blip on his radar overall. In some ways he was that to her – she could admit she didn’t think about him often in the months between summers. </p><p>Except she thought of him when she put his table and their fountain away in the winter to protect them from the elements, or any time she looked at the empty spaces left behind. She thought of him when she passed the goldfish crackers at the grocery store. She thought of him when she looked at Hazel’s painting, longing to transition from <em>breaking</em> to <em>healing</em>. She thought of him when the air conditioning was too strong. She thought of him when she smelled s’mores. She thought of him when she passed by the hardware store, or looked up how to do something on YouTube, or when her mom made Sally’s cookie recipe.</p><p>“Congratulations,” Calypso finally said, turning her gaze from the view out the window to look at Leo. This was it. From now on there would be no more of his layovers in her life, just the memories, the reminders, and the bitterness of knowing her fate would always be this, to be left behind. She couldn’t stand it, stand looking at his tangled black curls or his ears that were <em>still</em> too big, so she looked back out the window before it became too much to bear.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>Calypso continued to stare at the scenes passing by, but the tiniest smile tugged at her lips. “What you said about going to MIT. I’m impressed.”</p><p>“Oh, yeah,” Leo replied. “Thanks.”</p><p>“You’re going to stay there?” she asked, trying to sound casual. The last thing she wanted was for him to know how panicked she was by the thought. She also still didn’t understand fully <em>why</em> it scared her so badly.</p><p>“Yeah,” he said again, confusion audible in his voice. “I’ll probably be there year round, at least until I finish my degree. I’m sure I’ll drive down to visit now and then. Won’t be able to take whole summers or anything off our project, though.”</p><p>“That does make sense.”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>Out of the corner of her eye she saw his hands tighten around the steering wheel. If this was really it, the last time she was likely to see him, Calypso wondered if she should just get whatever she was feeling off her chest. Even though she still wasn’t sure of what it all meant, clearing the air might do her some good. He might even be able to help her find some kind of answer or closure.</p><p>Needing closure didn’t make sense, though. Closure was the type of thing people needed when relationships came to an end, when hearts were broken or grief involved. They weren’t in a relationship. Her heart wasn’t broken. She wasn’t grieving anything.</p><p><em>That’s sure what it feels like, though</em>, she thought.</p><p>“I’m sorry,” Leo finally said, an outburst, the words exploding out of him. “I should have warned you Percy was here with his girlfriend.”</p><p>That was honestly the last thing on her mind, so Calypso had to take a minute to collect her thoughts and feelings on the matter. He was right, even if it seemed small in comparison to everything else she was trying to process. “You should have. Why didn’t you?”</p><p>“I thought you wouldn’t want to come with me if I did,” he answered, repentant and honest.</p><p>“I wouldn’t have,” she confirmed, feeling a small flare of anger. Most of that anger had faded in the face of all the kindness she’d been shown, though, and even the flare of it only lasted a few seconds before fading again. “I’m kind of glad I did, though. I had fun, at least. It had been a long time since I did something like that.”</p><p>“Yeah?” he asked. From the corner of her eye she saw him take a glance at her, but she still couldn’t bring herself to look at him directly again.</p><p>“Don’t worry, you’re still an idiot,” she said, as if that were some kind of condolence.</p><p>“I know,” he assured her, letting out a sigh.</p><p>“Maybe someone at MIT is smart enough to develop a cure for that,” she suggested softly, glad for the opportunity to leave them, whatever they were, on that slightly less depressing note. That was for the best, because they’d arrived at her place. It was the end of the road, literally and figuratively.</p><p>Calypso climbed out of the car, her hands shaking. A lump had formed in her throat at all the things she was leaving unsaid. She couldn’t believe how much she’d let pile up over the years, when she’d had so many opportunities and just blocked them out, written them off, or run away from them. Leo got out, too, leaning against the door as she rounded the car to start up The Golden Apple’s front walk.</p><p>“I’m glad you came, by the way,” he offered, when she stopped just short of him to say their goodbyes.</p><p>“Take care of yourself out there, Leo,” she said, giving him the tiniest of smiles, and she hoped, more than anything, that he did. Whether it was in New York City or Cambridge, Massachusetts, she hoped Leo found his place and happiness, and that occasionally he thought back to his layovers in Montauk and the girl who he’d built a table and fixed a fountain for. He just nodded.</p><p>Every step up the walk hurt. Calypso looked straight ahead, not giving her garden any mind. Tears were on the horizon, but she refused to let them fall before she was safely behind closed doors and alone. A goodbye had never hurt her so desperately and she couldn’t get past the <em>wrongness</em> of it. She could not imagine a summer that did not bring with it the possibility of seeing Leo, of him blazing through her life to throw her off kilter. She refused to imagine it. That future awaiting her seemed so bleak.</p><p>“Cal, wait,” he called and she froze mid-step.</p><p>It was only then that the beating of her heart kick started. That dangerous feeling of hope took hold and then her formerly dormant heart was racing. When she turned to look at him, she tried to hold it back, not to let on how much was riding on his words, but it felt like the whole world was on the line, dependent on whatever he said next. “What?”</p><p>“Come with me,” he said, his expression reflecting the hope she felt so perfectly she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.</p><p>“What?” she said again, confused, breathless.</p><p>He swallowed hard, but seemed to become more confident – not the feigned, over the top confidence he always exuded as a defense mechanism, but a true confidence, something that came because he was sure both of what he was saying and what he wanted. “Come with me to Massachusetts.”</p><p>“I…” she started, then stared at him, her mouth agape.</p><p>“You said you thought about leaving,” Leo explained, when her speechlessness had dragged on into awkward silence. “Come with me. You can crash on my couch until you decide if you want to stay there, or if you want to go somewhere else, or if you want to come back here. Whatever.”</p><p>“What would I even do?” she asked, because that was what scared her most. All she knew was this bed and breakfast and her garden. She had no idea how, if she could survive with what little experience she had to offer, what chance there was for her to make money and support herself.</p><p>Leo shrugged. “I don’t know. You can figure that out too. I’ll help. You’re good at like everything and there are other schools there, if you wanted to do that.”</p><p>“That’s crazy,” she said, because it was. There was no way for it to be so simple, for her to leave with no money and no plan. Just a friend, an acquaintance really, who was willing to give her a chance she had always been too scared to take for herself. “That’s <em>crazy</em>.”</p><p>“Yeah, it is,” he agreed, though it made him smile, and she had the distinct impression that calling his idea crazy only made him that much more sure. “It’s crazy, Cal, but I don’t care. Come with me. If this life isn’t what you want, fuck it. Find another one.”</p><p>Not just a friend, not just an acquaintance, she realized. In that moment she knew what she’d been denying for years. She loved him. Somewhere along the line she’d fallen in love with him and by a miracle that seemed entirely impossible, he loved her, too. That she had no doubt about. There was no way he would be offering her the entire world, asking nothing in return, with nothing to gain himself, if he didn’t love her. He was giving her the escape she’d always thought did not exist, and there wasn’t a single string attached. Leo would give her the world and then he’d let her go.</p><p>Calypso’s eyes settled on Leo and this time she didn’t try to explain away how her heart raced. Instead she took a deep breath, then a step toward him, and another, until she was close enough to throw her arms around him and kiss him.</p><p>Seconds ticked by and Leo stood frozen, but she continued to kiss him. All at once he relaxed into her. His lips moved to meet hers, his arms slipped around her waist, and she pulled herself closer to him as relief washed over her. The ache that had settled deep in her soul so long ago she could barely remember what had caused it faded away and the world took on new colors, her heart soared, and she never wanted to let <em>him</em> go again.</p><p>“Okay,” she breathed, though she struggled to break away even long enough to get that one word out. Leo just stared at her, dumbfounded, and she laughed. “I’ll go with you.”</p><p>Leo smiled for a split second, but then he was kissing her again. Calypso had no complaints. There was an innocence in the way he kissed her, excitement and a hint of reverence. She couldn’t get enough of him, a spark igniting something deep inside her that had always been there, dormant and waiting. Hunger consumed her and she stepped forward just enough to press him against the side of his car. His arms tightened around her, scrunching up her t-shirt just enough that his calloused fingers brushed against her skin, and she began to wonder if it was possible for a person to burst into flame, because she was very close to doing so.</p><p>He was not there to heal her, to replace the sanctuary she had lost. Calypso might have had limited experience with relationships, but she knew well enough not to expect those things from other people – it had to come from within, was something she had to do on her own. There was nothing wrong with accepting the hand he was offering her, though, to let him show her the escape route she had so desperately wanted for years, and maybe a little company along the way to finding herself. As his lips moved against hers, unpracticed, but earnest and learning quickly, she felt the shift from <em>breaking</em> to <em>healing</em>, like the first warm breeze of spring cutting through the unforgiving cold of a long winter.</p><p>Finally, reluctantly, they parted.</p><p>“You’re surprisingly not terrible at that,” Calypso whispered, her lips sore but pulled into a smile.</p><p>Leo huffed a laugh. “Well, gee, thanks, I guess.”</p><p>“I should head in,” she said, but she didn’t move to go. She didn’t even begin to pull away. Going back into that stupid bed and breakfast that had served as her prison for years was the last thing she wanted to do.</p><p>“You won’t change your mind?” he asked, a hint of fear in his voice.</p><p>This time Cal laughed. “No,” she assured him, surprised by her own confidence.</p><p>“If you want to leave early, you can come stay with us in the city,” he offered, the hopefulness in his voice so sweet it threatened to melt her into a puddle on the stones of The Golden Apple’s front walk.</p><p>“Leo, as kind as Annabeth was to me last night, I don’t think she’d appreciate her boyfriend’s ex-girlfriend coming to live with him, even for a little while,” Calypso replied, her breathless whisper replaced with a still quiet scolding tone.</p><p>“I guess you’re right,” he conceded, disappointed. </p><p>No, she would not allow this moment to be marred by anything as ugly as disappointment. She pushed up on her toes – just barely, because he wasn’t much taller than her – and kissed him again, though only lightly. “It’s okay. I’ll need to take care of things here first, anyway.”</p><p>“I can’t wait,” Leo said softly, tilting his face forward to lean his forehead against hers. The disappointment he’d exuded was effectively dispelled and replaced by another small smile.</p><p>“Me neither,” she told him, letting out a joyful laugh. He really had no idea how much she meant it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Minter Wonderland</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this is set between chapters 68 and 69! mostly i had this scene in my head for ages but didn't know where to fit it into the main story, so i figured i'd just give it as this lil fluff piece here instead.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Being screamed awake at four in the morning on a Sunday by someone who was not his baby sister was definitely a new experience for Percy, and one he hoped not to repeat any time soon. As soon as Annabeth’s scream had pierced through his sleep, Percy had been on his feet and rushing toward it, no thoughts, just reaction. He was working on instinct and a sudden rush of adrenaline more than anything, and when he reached the bathroom to discover her pressed against a far wall, whimpering, he didn’t know what to make of the scene. Nothing dangerous stood out to him. She was alone, there was no blood, and she was standing on her own two feet.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” he asked, already breathless from how hard his heart was pounding.</p><p>“Spider,” she replied, pointing toward the bathroom counter, then a massive shiver went through her entire body and Annabeth started scratching at a spot on the arm that had just been lifted to point. “I-it was on me.”</p><p>Confusion mixed with his panic and left Percy stunned. “Isn’t a little early in the year for spiders?”</p><p>Annabeth just nodded, still scratching at her arm. The skin was quickly turning red from irritation and she would probably break through if she kept at it much longer, but her attention was locked on the bathroom counter. Percy didn’t need any instruction to know what to do. Without another word he marched into the bathroom, grabbed a few squares of toilet paper and scanned the counter for the offending arachnid. It was a fairly small thing, but he knew enough about phobias to understand size didn’t really matter. He flattened the spider and wiped any evidence of it off the counter, then dropped the wad of paper in the toilet and flushed.</p><p>“Beth, you’re going to hurt yourself,” he said once that important task was done – he figured she wasn’t going to be able to calm down before the spider was dispatched – and turned to face her, taking her reddened arm in his hands.</p><p>“It was on me,” Annabeth repeated in a small voice, sniffling and still staring at the spot on the counter where the spider had been. Percy realized for the first time tears had welled in her eyes.</p><p>“Hey,” Percy said softly, holding her arm with one hand and lifting her chin to make her look at him with the other, “it’s gone. You’re okay.”</p><p>Admittedly, he was a little concerned by her continued anxiety, and especially about how much damage she’d done to her skin where he assumed she had first seen the spider. He was also still trying to calm his own pounding heart and the accompanying rush of adrenaline through his veins. For several seconds he just watched her, relieved at least that they were both safe, but wracking his brain for some way to make this <em>better</em>.</p><p>“I, uh, still need to…” she finally said, her voice trailing off, and she glanced to the side toward the toilet.</p><p>Percy nodded, immediately understanding. “I’ll wait just outside the door.”</p><p>“No,” Annabeth replied instantly, before Percy even had a chance to move. Her hand gripped his arm and her eyes flared with a blend of fear and vehemence. “Stay. Please.”</p><p>He shouldn’t have been so happy, but he couldn’t help himself. As stupid as it was, the fact she was comfortable enough with him to even consider him sticking around while she used the toilet gave him a little thrill. Back in Montauk he’d made a joke about taking this step in their relationship. Actually getting there, though, was more exciting than it had any right to be. If he said anything about it she would probably roll her eyes and laugh, and there was a possibility this was just an exception being made in extenuating circumstances, but Percy was not ashamed of his own hopefulness. Every step forward with Annabeth was something worth celebrating.</p><p>Nodding, he stepped back and leaned against the bathroom counter, giving her enough space to get to the toilet. Annabeth looked like she was reconsidering her own idea for a few seconds, but then she slipped past him. While she did her business Percy made sure to look the other way, partially to provide her an appropriate degree of privacy and partially to hide the smile pulling at his lips.</p><p>Just as soon as she had finished washing her hands, Annabeth was scratching at her arm again, and any happiness that had taken hold of his heart faded. She didn’t even seem fully aware that she was doing it. Percy sighed, grabbed the first aid kit from the cabinet where he’d long learned they kept it, and took the hand Annabeth was using to scratch so she wouldn’t be able to continue. With a perplexed expression, she followed him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen, where he had her take a seat at the dining table. Percy dropped the first aid kit on the table and then went to the freezer, snagging a pint of Minter Wonderland ice cream, then a spoon, and returning to sit with her. </p><p>“What are you doing?” she asked, eyes flickering from the first aid kit, to the ice cream, then to his face.</p><p>“I’m wrapping up this spot because you’re about two seconds away from breaking the skin,” he answered, though instead of the first aid kit he started opening the pint of ice cream. After taking a spoonful for himself, he set it on the table. Percy was not a fan of mint ice cream, but ice cream was ice cream, Annabeth loved it, and he respected the pun game of that flavor name.</p><p>Annabeth stared at him. “And what’s the ice cream for?”</p><p>He shrugged. “Comfort food.”</p><p>“Percy, it’s like four in the morning,” she replied, but already she was smiling and that smile was what he’d been going for.</p><p>“Eat your ice cream,” he said without any real conviction, only smiling back at her. His smile grew wider as she followed his order, using her free hand to awkwardly attempt to get a spoonful. Percy popped open the first aid kit then, grabbing some antibacterial ointment to spread over the area she had so effectively irritated just in case there were any abrasions he couldn’t see. “Have you always been afraid of spiders?”</p><p>For a minute Annabeth sucked on the spoon, watching him closely. Percy didn’t mind waiting for her answer – when it came to her, he had all the time in the world and then some. “It started when I was seven,” she finally said, voice barely above a whisper and her smile quickly fading.</p><p>“Did something happen?” he asked, then held his mouth open. She rolled her eyes and struggled to get another spoonful of ice cream to feed him, smile pulling at her lips again. Mission accomplished.</p><p>“The twins had just been born, so I spent a lot of time outside,” she began to explain, still quiet, but not quiet as melancholy. “One day in the summer I was sitting in the backyard reading, my back against the fence. I remember leaning down on one arm, not really paying attention, and then suddenly there was this weird tickling sensation. Without noticing, I’d stuck my hand in some kind of nest, and all the newly hatched spiders were climbing up my arm. I screamed and started flailing around the yard and eventually threw myself into the sprinkler trying to get them off. My step-mom got mad at me for getting my clothes wet.”</p><p>“Shit, no wonder,” he said, nose wrinkling. It was easy enough to picture a seven year old Annabeth, but the image of her suffering something so scarring was the least enjoyable thing he could imagine. With the ointment worked into her skin, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the reddened patch on her arm, then pulled out some gauze to begin wrapping the area. Since she hadn’t broken any skin visibly, the gauze was mostly to protect her from any subsequent scratching.</p><p>Her smile simultaneously softened and grew wider. “I had nightmares for months after, but my parents always told me I was over reacting, being a baby about it and scaring the twins. Even just seeing pictures of spiders still makes me feel nauseous. If I step through a web or find one on me like this morning…”</p><p>With the gauze secured around her, Percy looked back up at Annabeth, studying her face as she ate another spoonful of ice cream. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, sitting there in the kitchen, dimly lit from the hall light, her blonde curls tangled and in disarray. Like most nights, she had slept in one of his t-shirts – this time it was a souvenir shirt from the Statue of Liberty Leo had given Percy as a birthday present a few years back as part of a running gag between them. The same shirts that were so snug on him hung loosely on her frame. Annabeth hadn’t even asked before she started stealing them and he’d loved her brazenness.</p><p>Percy loved <em>her</em>. Sometimes it scared him how much he loved her, how easily she had stolen his heart in its entirety. In ordinary, unremarkable moments like that one, it always hit him hardest, largely because he could so easily imagine them doing this for the rest of their lives.</p><p>“After Bianca died, I was scared to get in the water for a while,” he told her, surprising even himself with the confession. Percy avoided talking about Bianca at all costs, never bringing that incident up himself and rushing to change the subject as quickly as possible whenever someone else did. Not once in the decade since her death had he volunteered any details. There in the kitchen, with the woman he loved, the woman who made him feel like maybe he was worthy of real happiness, he found he wanted to, though. “She drowned, swimming in the lake on the di Angelo estate. I’m still not sure whether I was scared because I thought I would too, or if I felt guilty for not being able to save her, but for months after I would panic just looking at a pool.”</p><p>Annabeth reached out, resting her palm against his cheek and brushing her thumb lightly under his eye. It would have been easy for her to press him for more details about that nightmarish day, but she didn’t, and he loved her even more for that. “How did you get past it?”</p><p>“I just did,” he said, having no better answer to give her. “It was a little while after my mom had me start seeing a therapist, but I don’t think there was anything in particular he said or did that made it possible. One day I just wanted to get back in, so I did.”</p><p>“Thank you,” Annabeth said, her voice so full of love it could have knocked him off his feet if he weren’t already sitting. Percy wasn’t sure if her thanks was for coming to her rescue with the spider, for listening to her story, for offering up that small piece of his own past, or just for getting back in the pool all those years ago. All seemed equally plausible and it was quite possible she was expressing thanks for all of them at once.</p><p>He leaned in then, unable to resist the constant desire to kiss her for another second. Annabeth smiled into the kiss briefly, but then she was melting into him, her palm still firmly pressed to his cheek. She tasted like mint, chocolate, and marshmallows and the urge to pull her into his lap and strip off that shirt she wore was almost more than he could take.</p><p>“Let’s get back to bed,” he whispered, forcing himself to pull away before he lost all control.</p><p>“I don’t think I’ll be be able to sleep yet,” she told him, a whine in her voice and her arms tightening their hold where they’d snaked around his neck.</p><p>Percy tilted his head to kiss her, quick even though she tried to chase him when he pulled away again. She was always so greedy for his kisses, for his touch, even just casual physical intimacy. Every day she told him how much she loved and trusted him in a thousand little ways, and every day he considered himself the luckiest man alive to receive such love and trust. “Didn’t say anything about sleeping.”</p><p>“Well, then,” Annabeth said, pulled back just enough to show off that brilliant smile of hers, all panic and fear from earlier faded, “maybe we <em>should</em> go back to bed. I think I owe you a reward or two for coming to my rescue.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Coffee</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>it's really been a minute since i posted anything here.</p><p>i've had a lot of requests for some percy simping, and also for a little more swim class. those seemed like the perfect combination and now here we are. this piece takes place between chapters 71 and 72/73, so it's a little late, but i also think it times well with percy's little accidental confession in 77, so maybe a little spoilery for that if you're catching up? ♥</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Percy was not thinking about it. Not in the slightest. Not even in the tiniest, darkest corner of his mind was he thinking about how he had, the evening before, confessed to wanting to call Annabeth into Coach’s office and have his way with her. And instead of telling him off for it like he’d expected, Annabeth had admitted she had the same thoughts. No, he was absolutely not thinking about <em>that</em>.</p><p>Except he was, because thinking about anything else was literally impossible, and it was making things very hard on him. Pun unfortunately intended.</p><p>Over the last couple months Percy had been handling their swim class pretty well, even if he did say so himself. He knew he stared at Annabeth more than was entirely appropriate – both Hazel and Leo had told him as much, several times, and he was not amused by their incessant teasing – but he usually maintained his focus and didn’t think the quality of his instruction had suffered. If that had been the case, he would have told Coach Hedge he couldn’t handle the class anymore, asked if someone else on the team could take over, even if Coach would have thrown a fit about the trouble.</p><p>That Monday morning, though, Percy was pretty sure the quality of his instruction was about to tank and Coach Hedge would not be in for several hours. No one could save him.</p><p>Sitting in that very office, sipping on coffee that was more hot chocolate than anything else, the minutes ticking by at a painfully slow rate, Percy struggled to get himself under control before he had to go out and start his class. It was a challenge, though. Everywhere he looked, he could imagine Annabeth – sitting on the love seat in the corner wearing her suit, her long legs crossed, wet and shining fresh out of the pool; bent over the desk, knocking all its contents aside; pressed up against the door, panting and moaning and begging him for <em>more</em>. The events of the night before made him that much more susceptible to his own thoughts, too, because he no longer imagined just her hands or her mouth.</p><p>A smile pulled at Percy’s lips as he remembered her sitting at the kitchen counter, arms and legs wrapped around him when she said those three words that had turned all of his plans for the night upside down. <em>I want you</em>. </p><p>It had come as such a surprise to him that she’d been ready to take that step so seemingly out of the blue. Percy had been prepared to wait much longer. Annabeth had never told him explicit details of her relationship with Luke, but he knew, and could infer, enough from what she’d felt comfortable sharing to understand her hesitance. Like usual, though, she’d caught him off guard and gone full throttle after what she wanted once she was sure she wanted it. </p><p>Their first date had been like that, Annabeth surprising him by asking him so soon, when he’d resolved himself to the potential it might never even happen at all. She’d shocked him with their first kiss in the same way, and that moment still remained one of the best of his life. Every step in their relationship had been on her terms, even before he’d realized how important to her that control probably was, and it made him happy to know she’d always felt safe enough to take those risks.</p><p>Good, that was a safe train of thought. Percy felt like he’d managed to reign himself in a little when he looked up at the clock and saw it was only two minutes to eight. Time to head out and start this class. He could do it.</p><p>Everyone was present and accounted for when he made his way out to the bleachers. Looking at Annabeth was especially dangerous that morning, so Percy took advantage of Leo and Hazel sitting in the front row. Mostly he looked at Leo, not because Leo was any more unsexy to him than Hazel was, but because Annabeth was seated behind Hazel and even just looking at Hazel’s face, Percy could see those killer legs. </p><p>Legs he remembered wrapped around him, pressing him closer, egging him on as he rode her. More than the noises she’d made, the way her legs moved had told him how much she was enjoying herself. Sounds could be faked and exaggerated, not that he ever suspected her of doing any such thing, but the way her legs had twitched and squeezed and struggled desperately to find leverage so she could rock back up toward him had been instinctual. If she hadn’t been enjoying herself, she would have just laid back and waited for it to be over. Instead she’d taken an active role, and that had made the experience even more pleasurable for <em>him</em>, too.</p><p>There it was. He hadn’t even looked directly at Annabeth and he was already struggling to keep down a full blown erection. Percy had thought once about switching to loose swim shorts for class, just in case. Not for the first time, he was regretting not making that switch, if it would even make a difference.</p><p>“’Morning everybody,” he said, grimacing as he looked around the class. Percy really hoped no one was looking too closely – except maybe Annabeth, but he was supposed to be <em>not</em> thinking about her, especially in relation to his dick. “We’re over halfway through the semester now, so I think it’s a good time to see how you’ve improved your times. Go ahead and pair up to time each other, then jump in the pool to warm up. One hundred meters for each stroke, just like we did back in January. I have all your previous times in Coach Hedge’s office to bring out and compare.”</p><p>Sometimes it still shocked Percy that he could say things like that and people would just listen. With a clap of his hands to dismiss them, the whole class was getting to their feet and pairing off so they could do as he instructed. It was kind of cool that they respected him as a very limited authority figure, but also weird. Since they’d done a fair amount of pair work over the course of the semester, it took no time at all for the class to match up with their usual partners – Percy’s favorite part of that process was always seeing Hazel and Frank head to the pool together. The fact Annabeth had pulled that off still amazed him.</p><p>“Do you need help finding those records?” Annabeth asked, voice laden with amusement and teasing. She’d appeared at his side without him noticing while he’d been distracted by the newest, most adorable, couple in their class.</p><p>For the first time since stepping out of the office, Percy looked at her. There was no helping it when she was that close. Thankfully she was not wearing his favorite blue suit. Unfortunately she was wearing the one with red polka dots and halter straps that worked some kind of magic on her boobs. Her hair was french braided down her back – that was a relatively new development, something Hazel had started to do for her in the locker room before each class. The style was at once stunning on her and completely infuriating. His frustration was inspired exclusively because of the way it exposed and highlighted her neckline. A neck had no right to be that sexy, and yet hers taunted him constantly, especially because of the light bruise he’d left on it the night before after getting a little carried away with himself.</p><p>Speaking of getting carried away with himself, Percy forced himself to look away before he ended up doing the same thing right there by the bleachers.</p><p>“I think I can handle it on my own,” he assured her, ignoring the impatient way Leo stared daggers at the two of them from the pool, waiting for Annabeth to join him as his partner. “Get your ass in the pool before Leo starts throwing a fit, Chase.”</p><p>Annabeth’s eyes sparkled and, before she even opened her mouth, Percy knew he was in for a world of hurt. “Are you sure that’s where you want my ass, Jackson?”</p><p>No, it was not even remotely where he wanted her ass, and Percy had to face away from the pool because the small erection he’d been fighting was suddenly much larger. He should have brought the clipboard out with him from the start. It would have been helpful covering himself. “Does it make you happy to see me in pain?”</p><p>“Only a little,” she replied, but her smile made that very difficult to believe.</p><p>“Make Leo do his times first,” Percy instructed, voice low so it wouldn’t carry across the room to where anyone else might hear. He tried to be firm, to use his teacher voice – now that he knew she liked it, he would put it to use. “I want to time yours myself so I can watch.”</p><p>Her eyes went wide for a few seconds, telling Percy the voice had been effective, and then her teeth dug into her bottom lip to smother a smile. “You’re a little perv,” she whispered, stepping dangerously close. A glance back told him no one was watching, everyone already in the pool doing their warm ups – well, everyone but Leo, who had decided it was not worth staring daggers at them anymore and was now turned around, shouting something at Frank.</p><p>“Little?” he challenged, eyebrows shooting up. Percy prided himself on being a very <em>big</em> perv where his girlfriend was concerned. “You sure about that?”</p><p>She held his gaze for a few more seconds, then very purposefully trailed her eyes down his body, to where his hands were folded defensively in front of him. “No,” she amended, catching his eyes with her own again. “You’re right, I don’t think <em>little</em> applies.”</p><p>“That’s not what I meant,” Percy objected, heat rushing to his face, but Annabeth was already making her escape, slipping past him and speed walking toward where Leo waited at the pool. “Annabeth, that’s <em>not</em> what I meant!”</p><p>Leo gave Annabeth a shove when she finally came up beside him. She threw her head back and laughed as he lobbed what Percy assumed were a few lewd jokes at her, and all Percy could do was stare in awe. Morning sun from the floor to ceiling windows in the aquatic center draped her in light, making her hair sparkle, but it had nothing on the way she shined. Annabeth shoved Leo’s shoulder lightly, such a familiar and affectionate gesture, and he laughed, too, then they both dropped into the pool to finally warm up.</p><p>It meant a lot to Percy how much Annabeth loved his family. He used the word <em>love</em> confidently, too, even if she’d only met his mother and Estelle twice and Paul not at all. Her love for Hazel and Leo was enough, and very evident. If she didn’t already love the others, Percy knew it would come with time. Mostly it was how much she adored Leo that meant the world to him.</p><p>Rachel had not liked Leo. Percy would never admit it out loud, but it had been true. She’d loved Sally and Hazel, and liked Paul well enough (he <em>was</em> their teacher, so Percy could understand her awkwardness around him). Leo had always rubbed her the wrong way, though, and likewise Leo had not been a big fan of her. She tried not to let on, and Leo made an effort to be friendly, but there had been some weird disconnect between them that had made Percy sad. </p><p>Cal had been awkward with Leo, too, something Percy understood much better now. She’d probably liked him even back then. It should have sucked to think his ex-girlfriend secretly had the hots for his brother while they were dating, but for some reason it was just funny to him. </p><p>While they warmed up, Percy rushed himself to the office. A little of the tension had gone out of him in response to that adorable exchange, but only a little. It didn’t take him long to dig through Coach’s disaster zone of a cluttered desk to find the clipboard he was looking for, but those few distracted minutes did help clear Percy’s mind. When finally he returned to poolside, he had regained some composure and was hopeful he’d manage to maintain it at least until class was over.</p><p>All pairs were ready to start timing when Percy returned to the pool. He reminded them all of what order to do their strokes in and gave the group the signal to start. Annabeth and Hazel were seated side by side as Leo and Frank started their laps, leaned in, talking and pointing to the guys with stopwatches in hand. Percy should have been watching the whole class, but he only had eyes for the two of them – the suggestive nudge Annabeth gave Hazel with her shoulder as Frank moved through the water at speeds almost good enough to qualify for the swim team; the way Hazel covered her mouth with a hand when she giggled and then whispered something back; the fact that Annabeth could never go more than a minute or two without stealing a glance at him.</p><p>Soon reports on lap times started coming in and Percy’s attention fell to marking everything down. He gave his (mostly) undivided attention to his duties as instructor. The numbers didn’t mean anything, wouldn’t have any impact on grades at the end of the semester, but Percy liked seeing what progress everyone made and knowing he’d played a small part in it with his instruction. Seeing his students improve was a source of pride and he hoped they took pride in their improvements too. Percy <em>did</em> take his job seriously, even if his sinfully sexy girlfriend tried at every opportunity to distract him with rude things like breathing.</p><p>Frank was the first one done. Hazel reported his final time and Percy jotted it down with all the others, then watched fondly as she offered Frank a bottle of water and brushed back the wet hair matted to his forehead. He was already flushed from the workout of swimming several hundred meters, but the color on his cheeks deepened at those small public displays of affection.</p><p>It was several minutes before Leo finally came up for air after his last lap. By then Hazel had already dropped into the pool and started her swim, Frank taking the place at Annabeth’s side. Percy wasn’t close enough to hear, but from the look on Leo’s face as he struggled to catch his breath, he was complaining about how quickly Frank had finished his set. Watching the three of them almost made Percy miss a time call from another student, but he managed to register it just in time to not have to ask again. That would have been embarrassing.</p><p>When Leo finally dragged himself out of the pool, he didn’t take a seat on the edge beside Frank. Instead he came over to take over clipboard duty from Percy. “I don’t know why I even come to this class anymore when it’s just Frank Zhang show-off hour.”</p><p>“I’m sure it has nothing to do with how much you love telling him he’s a show-off to his face,” Percy replied easily. “Or because you prefer swimming to all other forms of exercise.”</p><p>“Exercise is fucking stupid,” Leo agreed with a sigh, scribbling down a time as it was called from behind him. He scanned the clipboard a little more closely and sighed. “Annabeth’s times from January are <em>still</em> better than mine now. This is embarrassing. I can’t stand either of those overachievers.”</p><p>“Are they?” Percy asked, instantly breaking into a smile as he leaned over to look at the notes. He hadn’t been paying close attention to the results, but Leo was right.</p><p>“Distract her for me so I can be better than someone,” Leo suggested, very seriously. “Shake your ass or whatever she likes. Objectify yourself. I know you can do it.”</p><p>Percy let out a cackle of a laugh. “You’re probably still beating Hazel. Stop complaining.”</p><p>“Hazel doesn’t count,” Leo whined as Percy started to walk away. </p><p>The quick announcement Percy made to let everyone know Leo was now in charge of recording times was met with a few laughs but no objections. While they generally did their best to avoid being too obvious, Percy was fairly confident the rest of the class knew about him and Annabeth. College students really didn’t have it in them to care about favoritism in a pass or fail PE elective. He also figured they were too cute for anyone to get mad at, even if he did say so himself.</p><p>Annabeth was waiting in the water when Percy joined Frank at the edge of the pool, hanging on the lane divider. “Took you long enough.”</p><p>“Leo was trying to convince me to distract you and mess up your times,” Percy explained, prompting a snorted laugh from Frank.</p><p>“Are you going to?” she asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.</p><p>“Hell no,” he assured her. “Stop wasting time and show me what you’ve got.”</p><p>For a few seconds Annabeth continued to study him, as if trying to decide whether or not she believed him. Percy was sincere, though. He wanted to watch her swim, push her limits and demonstrate her skill in the sport he had dedicated so much of his life to. Annabeth wasn’t as strong an amateur swimmer as Frank, but she was above average. That had been something Percy discovered in their first class and it had only solidified what he’d already been sure of – she was the hottest woman he’d ever so much as crossed paths with.</p><p>Satisfied he wasn’t about to sabotage her performance, Annabeth approached the wall and started after Percy gave her a quick countdown. </p><p>Butterfly was her strongest stroke and came first. Percy leaned back on one arm and watched her glide through the water with speed and efficiency, knowing just as he observed her moderate improvement over the last few months that she could have easily been a competitive swimmer with the proper training. She moved with confidence and ease. Teasing about her being his worst student aside, Annabeth had actually taken his instruction and critiques to heart. She <em>wanted</em> to improve, if not to be the best, at least to achieve her own potential.</p><p>Backstroke was her weakest and came second. That didn’t stop Percy from enjoying the show, though. The backstroke provided an especially good opportunity to appreciate the lines of her body. Those laps were big perv time, the grin Percy wore as he watched her arms stretch above her head and her legs kick straight out behind her completely shameless. In the back of his mind Percy registered that Hazel finished her last lap around then, but he really didn’t care about anything but the woman in the lane in front of him.</p><p>Breaststroke was just okay and came third. Yet again, he could see the places she’d improved since January. Pride swelled in his chest as he looked at the stopwatch in his hand and knew her time was already much better than what he’d read on the clipboard. </p><p>Annabeth was amazing. In everything she did, no matter what life threw at her, she was amazing. There was no challenge she couldn’t overcome, no hardship she couldn’t brave. Whether it was improving her swimming strokes or conquering the demons in her past, she faced it with determination and grace, and for some reason she had decided that she wanted him by her side while she tackled it all. She made him want to have a little more courage, too, and there was no one else in the world he wanted by <em>his</em> side.</p><p>Freestyle came last, and that was when Percy realized something so terrifying it left him breathless. </p><p>There really was no one else in the world he wanted by his side. This was it. She was all he ever wanted. He wanted an entire life of this – of Annabeth making every day a struggle because even just her neckline could turn him on, of the way she laughed when Leo said something entirely inappropriate, of her whispers with Hazel, of her naps with Estelle and her blush when his mother praised her and her screaming over spiders and the soft way she whispered <em>I love you</em> before falling asleep at night. It wasn’t just something he could see, because he’d been able to picture that future with her all along. No, it was something he <em>wanted</em>, something he would fight tooth and nail for.</p><p>“Percy?” Annabeth called, hanging on one of the lane dividers again, wheezing the name out as she struggled to catch her breath. When he stared at her blankly for a couple seconds, she managed to also choke out, “What’s my final time?”</p><p>He looked down at the stopwatch and realized he hadn’t marked the finish of her final lap. “Shit,” he whispered, finally hitting the button, “shit, shit, <em>fuck</em>.” Hazel and Frank were beside him, staring with almost as much incredulity as Annabeth.</p><p>“Did you seriously miss it?” Annabeth asked, her mouth hung open in disbelief, breathing beginning to even out.</p><p>“It was an accident. I’m so sorry,” he replied, staring at the stopwatch and trying to will it to rewind to the moment she’d touched the wall on her final lap – whenever that had been, considering Percy had been so lost in his own thoughts he hadn’t even noticed.</p><p>Leo appeared at Percy’s shoulder, leaning over to read what the stopwatch said. “You did it! I beat her!”</p><p>“I didn’t do anything,” Percy objected, shaking his head enthusiastically, hoping that would be enough for Annabeth to believe he really hadn’t sabotaged her time.</p><p>“<em>Percy</em>,” Annabeth said again, splashing water at him in an angry huff.</p><p>“Lunch is on me, everybody,” Leo exclaimed, slapping Frank on the back. “Anything you want. Within reason. Like, no more than ten bucks a piece.”</p><p>That was all well and good, but Percy wasn’t sure he was going to survive to lunch, because Annabeth had grabbed hold of his leg and was attempting to drag him into the water. “Get in this pool so I can kill you.”</p><p>Frank had grown far too confident and way too loyal to Annabeth – or maybe it was Hazel’s idea, because she was always up to no good, too – because his hand was suddenly on Percy’s back and then Percy was flying face first into the pool. He recovered quick enough. Being thrown into pools was nothing new to Percy. The face full of water from his girlfriend <em>was</em> new, though, and he didn’t think twice before diving after her.</p><p>If anyone in their class still had doubts about Percy’s relationship with Annabeth before that morning, none remained after, because the ensuing aquatic wrestling match ended with her arms wrapped around his neck and his lips on hers for all to see. She tasted like chlorine and his future, and he would not be able to get enough no matter how hard he tried.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Pepperoni</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this goes along with chapter 80! after two very heavy chapters in the main story, it's kind of a soft palate cleanser.</p><p>will this be the last time we have nico content in this universe? no. 😌</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Can I do anything for you?” Jason asked, only a second after the front door had closed and Piper had left.</p><p>Nico stood where he had since the moment he’d come home, at the window, staring out at the sprawling cityscape. It was a very <em>Jason</em> question to ask, Nico thought. There was no question if Nico needed or wanted anything, because Nico very obviously needed and wanted many things, things Jason could not provide. That wouldn’t stop Jason from doing everything in his power to help, though. Nothing ever stopped Jason from helping once he decided a friend was in crisis.</p><p>Not even a friend, actually. Nico had been in crisis when he and Jason met. They had not been friends. Jason had still moved heaven and earth to help, simply because Nico had needed it.</p><p>“No,” Nico answered honestly.</p><p>“Reyna isn’t mad at you, not really,” Jason replied, still trying to help. Sometimes that was a little annoying.</p><p>“I know,” Nico assured him.</p><p>“Ni–”</p><p>“Jason,” Nico interrupted, finally turning to face the other man. </p><p>Jason had risen to his feet, come around to lean against the back of the couch. The grumpy frown on his face and the worried wrinkles on his forehead were enough to make Nico smile. It was Jason’s stupidest look, like a poorly acted dad out of a sitcom from the fifties about to deliver some heavy handed moral lesson. Even at sixteen Jason had carried himself like a middle aged man, too stoic and serious than he had any right to be.</p><p>It had been one hell of a day when Jason Grace became more than just another one of the kids Nico’s parents pretended were his friends because they came to his birthday parties. For a long time that day had been a bitter memory. In some ways it still was – remembering the look of disappointment on his father’s face, <em>It would have been better if Bianca had lived</em>, the unspoken, <em>instead of you</em>, and worse, <em>instead of Hazel</em> – but thinking back had become easier as it had transformed from the day Nico realized he would never be the child his father wanted and into the day he met his best friend, his first friend.</p><p>“I’m not fourteen anymore,” Nico continued after a few seconds, his tone made soft by the expression Jason wore. “If I wasn’t okay, I would tell you.”</p><p>“You’ll always be fourteen to me,” Jason said, but his worry eased and a smile began to spread across his face.</p><p>Despite his best efforts not to, Nico laughed. “Does Piper know you’re actually a forty-five year old?”</p><p>“Honestly?” Jason started, crossing his arms and quirking up an eyebrow, a little thoughtful. “I think she does and I’m not entirely sure what to make of that.”</p><p>“You consider yourself really fucking lucky, that’s what you make of it,” Nico said, and maybe he was teasing a little <em>too</em> much, but Jason had always taken his worst blows like they were a kiss on the cheek, even when he’d intended them to hurt.</p><p>After a quick glance at the door Piper had just left through, Jason hung his head and nodded. “I do, believe me.”</p><p>“She’s pretty lucky, too,” Nico amended, sensing he’d hit a sensitive spot.</p><p>Jason lifted his gaze to Nico again, still wearing a subtle smile. “Don’t go soft on me now, Neeks.”</p><p>“I’ve thought of something you can do for me.”</p><p>Smile shifting back into a concerned and sobered frown, Jason nodded. “Anything.”</p><p>“Never call me <em>Neeks</em> again,” Nico told him, feeling victorious when Jason laughed.</p><p>“Sorry, Neeks,” Jason replied, still laughing, and that laughter went a long way to ease the ache of grief rehashed in Nico’s chest. “Anything but that.”</p><p>So, maybe Nico was a little in love with his best friend. Maybe he had been since he was fourteen, since Jason had walked in on Nico being yelled at for not being a gracious enough host, since that giant, blonde haired, blue eyed old-man-in-a-sixteen-year-olds-body had approached a relative stranger and asked if he could <em>help</em>. Maybe it still hurt a little to see Jason so happy with Piper. Maybe on nights like this that didn’t matter, because he could make Jason laugh and making Jason laugh made Nico think he was worth something.</p><p>“You know,” Nico said, shoving his hands into his pockets and staring down at the floor, “Bianca was the first person I came out to.”</p><p>“She was?” Jason asked, the surprise in his voice not judgmental, more confused.</p><p>Nico nodded, still looking at the floor. “I was too young to understand it then, what it all really meant, so maybe it doesn’t count.”</p><p>“It counts if you want it to count,” Jason said, with the kind of conviction that was contagious. </p><p>When Jason believed in something it was next to impossible not to blindly follow his lead, not to believe in the same thing just as passionately. It was almost a shame Jason wouldn’t be going into politics. Nico had no doubt Jason would hate being a politician. He also had no doubt Jason would be good at it, would be able to rouse a crowd to action with a well timed speech or inspire a whole generation to get out and vote in response to his sincerity and passion. Instead, Jason’s power of persuasion was now reserved for moments like this, when a friend needed someone to believe in <em>them</em>.</p><p>“I told her,” Nico continued, gaze locked on the floor but a small smile playing on his lips, “that I wanted to marry Percy.”</p><p>The laugh Jason let out was a half strangled, snorted sound he quickly tried to cover up by coughing and waving his arms frantically. “Sorry. I’m not laughing at you.”</p><p>“That’s what I get for telling you anything,” Nico said, but he wasn’t really mad. He understood why Jason laughed. </p><p>It was funny to Nico in hindsight, too, even if sometimes thinking too much about Percy made his heart ache, and even if he had always been a little jealous of how close Percy remained with Hazel. Nico’s feelings for Percy – the puppy love and admiration, borderline hero worship – were too tightly tangled with grief, anger, bitterness and jealousy.</p><p>“What did she say?” Jason asked, once he’d stifled his laugh.</p><p>Nico finally forced himself to look up at Jason, taking a deep breath as he replayed that old memory in his mind, the edges of it frayed and fading with time, but still clear enough for him to cling to – the chime of Bianca’s laugh, the way she’d run her hands through his messy and unbrushed hair, the warmth of her smile, and the way her eyes crinkled from it. So few of those memories had survived over the years, because for so long Nico had purposely buried them. When he’d finally realized how desperately he wanted to <em>remember</em>, how precious those moments had been, most of them had been buried too deep to ever resurface. They were lost, but at least this memory remained his, and telling the story helped make it a little more real.</p><p>“She told me I could only get married if she got to be maid of honor,” Nico told Jason. “I said guys didn’t have maids of honor and she laughed, told me that was stupid. It would be my wedding, I could have anything I wanted. It wasn’t any different to her than if I’d said it was Reyna I wanted to marry, though.”</p><p>Jason was silent for a few beats, his distant gaze evidence of how deeply he pondered those words. “I wish I could have known her.”</p><p>“You would have liked her,” Nico agreed. Saying that should have made him sad, but it didn’t. </p><p>Thinking about how well Jason and Bianca undoubtedly would have gotten along filled Nico with a surprising warmth. They would have gotten along because they were so similar, the same burden of expectations put on their shoulders and the same hatred of those expectations even from young ages. Nico could imagine them lamenting their respective responsibilities, commiserating about insufferable parents, consoling each other over their own lost potential, robbed of them. Losing Bianca had been the worst thing to ever happen to Nico, meeting Jason the best. His sister and his best friend were two sides of the same coin.</p><p>So, maybe Nico <em>wasn’t</em> in love with his best friend, and therein laid the problem – he had never really been sure. Jason was attractive. Very attractive. Attraction wasn’t love, though, and Nico wasn’t entirely sure he understood what romantic love even was, what it was supposed to look or feel like beyond just attraction. Nico loved. He had loved Bianca. He loved Hazel and Reyna. He was beginning to really love Thalia and Frank, too. Nico had also been attracted to other guys. Nico had even been involved with and dated other guys. He’d never loved any of them. Jason lived in the illusive gray area where love and attraction mingled, and Nico had never been able to tell what <em>kind</em> of love he felt toward Jason, nor whether his attraction was just objective appreciation or something deeper.</p><p>“Is Hazel going to be okay?” Jason asked, after they’d been silent for a minute or two, each lost in their own thoughts. A good question. </p><p>Nico wanted to text her, maybe even call, but he also didn’t want to make her feel worse by forcing her to talk to him about it all again. They’d had that conversation two years ago, their relationship made stronger by finally admitting what they’d both always known, and there was nothing really left for them to say on the matter. Rehashing those feelings, Hazel’s guilt and Nico’s resentment, wouldn’t do either of them any good. In the morning, after she’d been soothed by Percy and Leo in only the way they could comfort her, Nico would check on his sister.</p><p>Sometimes he wasn’t the person Hazel needed. He’d come to terms with that a long time ago. It was only fair, after all. Sometimes she wasn’t the person Nico needed, either.</p><p>“She’s not alone,” Nico replied with a shrug. “That’s what matters.”</p><p>“You aren’t either.”</p><p>A walking cliché, that Jason Grace – at least, that’s what Nico had thought when they met. After that summer afternoon Jason had accidentally walked in on Nico being berated, Nico had made several snap judgments about who the golden boy of the Grace family was. Most of those judgments had been accurate enough, but they’d all been shallow.</p><p>Jason was a jock, on the football, basketball and baseball teams, varsity in all three by sophomore year of high school. He was a perfect student. He went to parties often enough to be the right amount of social, but he kept to himself and never got drunk. He wasn’t a narc, because that would make him unpopular, but he was too straight laced to really trust. He was friendly, but often acted aloof and distant, as if he were above everyone else, his presence alone a blessing to those lowly peons. He was a Grace. All Graces were shaped from the same mold to one extent or another. Jason was perfectly pressed, the epitome of what someone of his status should be.</p><p>Nico had expected rumors to fly after that afternoon, for everyone in their little world to know exactly what hateful things Nico’s father had said to him and to whisper about <em>that di Angelo boy</em> even more than they already did. No such rumors flew. Instead Jason showed up at Nico’s door the following Friday evening with a pepperoni pizza, an <em>Iron Man</em> DVD, and a smile, saying, “We should hang out.”</p><p>If Nico had been making the calls, they would <em>not</em> have hung out. Nico hadn’t been making the calls, though, and turning a Grace away at the door was simply not something that was done. Jason had probably known as much when he came over, had considered the fact that Nico would not be given a choice about whether or not they hung out if only because of social etiquette. It had been a trap, Nico just hadn’t been sure at the time what kind of trap it was supposed to be.</p><p>That had been how Nico had come out for the first time, explicitly, fully understanding what the words meant and who he was – as much as any fourteen year old could be capable of. “I’m gay,” Nico had told Jason that evening. It was meant to scare the jerk off. All of Nico’s snap judgments told him Jason was a guaranteed homophobe. Sure, Thalia had come out a while back, but that didn’t mean anything. Everyone <em>pretended</em> they were accepting of her, but whispered in disgust behind her back.</p><p>The confusion that had rippled across Jason’s face had not been the result of fear or disgust, though. It was valid confusion, because those had been the first two words Nico had said that evening, Jason was in the middle of shoving his third slice of pizza in his mouth, and Tony Stark had just busted out of his kidnappers’ prison in a scrap metal super suit. Once Jason had finished chewing his mouthful of food, he’d frowned and Nico had prepared for the worst. Instead Jason asked, “Is that what your dad was yelling at you about the other day?”</p><p>Trying to scare Jason off had failed miserably. Jason continued to set his trap weekly after that, forcing Nico to watch stupid movies and eat pizza with him through the bonds of their parents’ ideas of propriety. Before Nico knew what was happening, he found himself looking forward to those weekly movie nights. Jason had proven over the course of one night a week for months to be all the things Nico expected, but also much more.</p><p>He was annoying. Really annoying. <em>Please shut up about your last basketball game, I do not care about sports</em>, annoying. He was a massive nerd. Nico maybe liked that, but would never admit it. He lacked the refined palate of someone of his status and ate like a five year old. He loved dad jokes. He <em>told</em> dad jokes and was proud of it. He was aloof and distant with his peers because he was actually shy, just tried to hide it because in their world shyness was weakness. He hated most of his extended family. He was thoughtful and considerate and cared deeply about people, both those around him and in the world at large. He was a Grace. All Graces were shaped from the same mold to one extent or another. Jason was perfectly pressed, but it was nothing more than a facade, a defense put up for the sake of survival.</p><p>“Whatever,” Nico said, pretending those very cliché words didn’t mean as much to him as they did. It had been years since Nico was last alone. Jason had made sure of it. “Go get some sleep or something. It’s late and I’m tired.”</p><p>“Okay, but,” Jason said, and he held out his arms, opened in a very blatant request.</p><p>“No.”</p><p>Jason started forward, slow steps as if approaching a feral animal. “I think yes.”</p><p>“I think no.”</p><p>“You’re not even trying to get away,” Jason observed, a few steps closer, arms still outstretched. “Not fooling anyone here, Neeks.”</p><p>“I hate you.”</p><p>His arms enveloping Nico easily, Jason laughed, as undaunted by Nico’s poor attempts at scaring him off as he had been six years before. Nico would never have asked for it, but that familiar embrace was exactly what Nico had needed, the one thing Jason could have done to make that night a hint less bitter and cold. Just like the trap he’d set all those years before, Nico had a feeling Jason knew exactly what he was doing.</p><p>“I love you, too.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Hot Chocolate</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>here's a little window into more of what happened at the brownstone the morning of chapter 83! another (mostly) fluff piece to offset the angst. i needed it too. 😭</p><p>i've wanted to write something hazel for sooooo long, but also did not know how to present her pov on anything even remotely interesting without ruining the reveal we had a few chapters back, so it had to wait until now. this will not be the last hazel pov we get in this universe tho. 👀 i had way too much fun with her.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>When Hazel woke up Thursday morning there was hot chocolate. More importantly, she woke to the smiling face of Frank Zhang, squatting down beside her bed, holding that mug of hot chocolate in one hand as he coaxed her awake with the gentle brush of his fingers against her cheek.</p><p>“Did you sleep alright?” he asked as she sat herself up and accepted the mug he offered, his cheeks painted the most beautiful shade of pink she’d ever seen. He settled himself on the edge of the bed beside her. A few times she’d tried to mix a color of paint to match his blush. It had only ended in failure.</p><p>Hazel’s own cheeks were warm as she tipped the mug to her lips, taking a tentative sip of the steaming liquid. The night before had been a roller coaster, to say the least, but in those first waking moments Hazel refused to think of anything but the best part of it. </p><p>After they’d said goodnight to Percy and Annabeth, Frank had become even more shy and hesitant than usual. Hazel supposed a closed bedroom door, the finality of <em>sleeping over</em>, could do that to anyone. They had each taken their turns getting cleaned up in Hazel’s en suite bathroom. When Frank had emerged he had still been wearing his jeans and long sleeved undershirt, not changed into the clothes Percy had provided him. He told her they didn’t quite fit, embarrassed by the admission. She told him it was okay if he wanted to go home, if staying was too uncomfortable.</p><p>He didn’t want to go home.</p><p>In the end Frank had climbed into bed in just that undershirt and his boxers, apologizing as if he were putting her out by not wearing more. Hazel had held her tongue, but she honestly would have been just fine with <em>less</em>. That night was not the time for that conversation, though, so she had assured him his clothes were fine and shamelessly curled up against him. For as small and terrible as she had felt the prior few hours, melting into his side, the weight of his arms around her, had been a safe haven she needed desperately. Sometimes feeling small could be good, too.</p><p>“I did,” Hazel finally answered after that first sip. “Did you?”</p><p>Frank’s blush deepened and he nodded. “Yeah, I did.”</p><p>“We could do it again,” Hazel offered tentatively, staring at the mug in her hands, trying to calm the racing of her heart. “It would probably be more fun under better circumstances.”</p><p>Several seconds passed without Frank replying and for a heartbeat Hazel worried she’d said something wrong, been too forward or put him in an uncomfortable position. Then she looked back at him and found his entire face had turned beet red, all the way to his ears and down his neck, and if it were possible he probably would have been steaming out the ears. She couldn’t help bursting into laughter, her giggles only becoming worse when he ducked his head in embarrassment. Whatever <em>he</em> was thinking had definitely not been her intention, not entirely, but she decided not to correct him.</p><p>Instead she sat up a little more, enough to be able to press a kiss to his reddened cheek. His skin was hot to the touch and only made her smile wider. “Should I take that as a yes?”</p><p>“You should definitely take it as a yes,” he replied, smiling, and despite the continued intensity of his blush, he leaned in then to kiss her properly.</p><p>Their first kiss had been barely more than a peck on the beach in Montauk, Frank’s jacket draped over Hazel’s shoulders as the harsh wind off the ocean tried and failed to cut through her. Their second had been on the porch of the brownstone after their first date, Hazel standing three steps higher than Frank to even out their heights, quicker than she might have liked, but sweet enough to tide her over until the next all the same. Their third had been on a picnic blanket in Central Park, lingering and dizzying, for all the world around them to see.</p><p>After the third Hazel had stopped keeping track, but that kiss on her bed, her hand on his still warm cheek, his lips moving with a slowly developing confidence, was one she was sure to remember. It ended too soon, but they always did, always would so long as they had to end at all.</p><p>“Percy and Leo are making breakfast,” Frank said, the color on his face faded back to the gentle glow of earlier. “I can bring it up to you, if you’re not ready to go down. They just need to know what to put in your omelette.”</p><p>Staying holed up with Frank indefinitely was tempting, but Hazel shook her head. “I’ll come down.”</p><p>Downstairs was bursting with life, the tension of the night before entirely forgotten. Percy worked at the kitchen counter chopping omelette ingredients, scrambling eggs, and manning the toaster. Leo stood behind at the stove, a spatula in one hand and a skillet handle in the other. At the kitchen table a few feet away, Annabeth and Cal had mugs in their hands, Cal talking and Annabeth laughing so hard she had to wipe tears from the corners of her eyes. Instead of everyone freezing and watching Hazel enter like she was walking her own funeral procession, they all greeted her with smiles and various versions of, “Good morning,” but otherwise continued what they’d already been doing.</p><p>One exception came in the form of Percy, who set aside the tomato he had been chopping when Hazel came into the kitchen to drop off her emptied mug in the name of wrapping her up in a hug. “You okay?” he asked softly, squeezing her so tight it almost made it hard for her to breathe.</p><p>“I will be,” she assured him, returning his hug just as enthusiastically, though she unfortunately didn’t have even half his strength and could not crush his lungs in return. He didn’t let her go, holding on so long the seconds threatened to turn into a full minute. “Percy,” she finally continued, “you’re embarrassing me.”</p><p>“Correct,” he replied, the grin on his lips audible in the tone of his voice even though she remained smushed against his chest.</p><p>“You’re doing it on purpose,” she concluded with a sigh.</p><p>Percy laughed, swaying from side to side idly. “Absolutely.”</p><p>“Frank is going to get jealous,” Hazel tried, though she doubted it was true and doubted even more that Percy would believe her.</p><p>“Hey, Frank,” Percy said and Hazel groaned, arms dropping to her side so that only he continued to hold on.</p><p>“Huh?” Frank replied from where he’d taken a seat with Annabeth and Cal, sounding a little surprised to be called out.</p><p>“This making you jealous?” Percy asked, the distinct lack of taunting in his voice as purposeful as his attempt at embarrassing Hazel with the prolonged hug. Since Hazel had started dating Frank, Percy had tried to actively respect Frank’s insecurities and boundaries. He didn’t want to cause problems or make anyone uncomfortable (except probably Hazel herself).</p><p>There had never been anything but friendship, and later family, between Hazel and Percy. Since the day she had first watched him swimming in the pool at her family home, she had admired Percy greatly. Finding the courage to actually talk to him had changed her life, and later he had quite literally saved her life. Her love for Percy was deep, unshakable, unconditional, and his for her the same. Other people often had difficulty understanding it never went beyond that. </p><p>Unfortunately for Hazel, at least it was unfortunate in that one specific moment, Frank understood it well. “Not even a little,” he replied, voice dripping with affection and amusement.</p><p>“You’re going to make Annabeth jealous,” Hazel amended in a last ditch effort to earn her freedom.</p><p>The laugh Percy barked told Hazel she had failed. “Hey Beth, you jealous?”</p><p>“Nope,” Annabeth replied without hesitation, probably not even bothering to look back at what she might be jealous of. “You can actually keep him the whole day, Hazel. I’ll owe you one.”</p><p>As far as Hazel knew, Annabeth had never questioned the connection between her and Percy either, not expressed any discomfort or jealousy over their closeness. Hazel had always been worried about the eventuality of Percy meeting someone who would become a permanent fixture in their lives. If that someone didn’t like her, or ended up feeling threatened by their relationship, it could easily end in disaster. Even worse had been the prospect of Hazel being the one not to like whoever Percy chose, the possibility she wouldn’t be able to stand being around them and would have to see less of him as a result.</p><p>Thankfully, Hazel loved Annabeth, loved the way Percy lit up when she walked into a room, how relaxed even her most fleeting touch could make him. Percy was the best person Hazel had ever known. Annabeth made him better. </p><p>It went beyond just how much <em>Percy</em> loved Annabeth, though.</p><p>From the very start Annabeth had been friendly toward Hazel, and in the last few months had made an effort to spend time together. Hazel remembered the first time Annabeth came over, taking her downstairs and showing off the painting studio. Annabeth was an intimidating person, with a piercing gaze and an imposing presence, but that gaze had turned thoughtful and appreciative at the sight of Hazel’s art, and Annabeth had asked questions, shown a genuine interest in each piece. She set time aside to spend just with Hazel, listening to endless rambling about Frank, or offering up advice Hazel would have been too embarrassed to ask of Percy or Leo, or even just lounging around doing and talking about nothing in particular. Those things had been a massive, unexpected bonus.</p><p>There was also no way Hazel would ever be able to repay Annabeth for inspiring Percy to continue swimming, especially since protecting her had been a large part of the reason he had considered giving up in the first place.</p><p>“I can’t believe she didn’t back me up,” Hazel mumbled.</p><p>“Percy, I need eggs,” Leo interrupted, annoyed and impatient. “Stop torturing Hazel and help me get these fucking omelettes finished.”</p><p>“Get your own eggs. We’re having a moment here,” Percy replied, lifting his leg to blindly kick in Leo’s direction. Leo kicked back, and Percy kicked again. That distraction made him loosen his grip on Hazel momentarily and she seized the opportunity to slip away.</p><p>Hazel didn’t risk sticking around in the kitchen, but she did take the time to shout over her shoulder, “Bacon, bell peppers and tomatoes in mine, please!”</p><p>“Told you she’d want tomatoes,” Percy said smugly with a glance back at Leo.</p><p>Leo kicked Percy in the calf one more time. “Then finish chopping the tomato or so help me God, Perseus Jackson, you’ll wish you’d never seen a tomato in your life.”</p><p>Breakfast was served shortly thereafter, the group of six all seated around the dining table. Hazel listened to the others more than she spoke, laughing freely and letting their company heal the old wound in her heart that had been reopened the night before. Under the table she played footsie with Frank, a habit they’d picked up while out to lunch with everyone over the last couple months of the semester. Being in her own home, barefoot and much more at ease than she ever felt in public, added to her enjoyment of the act immensely.</p><p>Guilt over her own happiness still nagged at Hazel. In moments like this, when she was content and practically smothered with love, and especially in light of all that had finally been confessed the night before, Hazel didn’t think she deserved it. She had no right to happiness, to these wonderful people and these beautiful mornings, when Bianca never had a chance to know the same.</p><p>“So,” Leo said, snapping Hazel out of her own thoughts just in time, as if he’d known she was about to fall down a slippery slope and needed a distraction. He paused several seconds for dramatic effect, the way he wiggled his eyebrows telling Hazel she was not going to appreciate whatever he was about to say. “Did you enjoy your sleepover last night?”</p><p>Beside Hazel, Frank choked on the air, neither food nor drink anywhere near his mouth, but it was Cal who responded, “Do you enjoy living with your head in the gutter?”</p><p>“You’re the one with your head in the gutter,” Leo quickly replied, feigning offense. “I’m simply curious, because I know first hand what an enlightening experience sleeping with someone for the first time can be. For instance, I was shocked to discover Cal snores like a chainsaw.”</p><p>“I don’t snore,” Cal replied, indignant.</p><p>“Like a chainsaw,” Leo repeated himself, and then decided to give them a demonstration of the sound Cal supposedly made.</p><p>She was laughing along with everyone else, but that didn’t stop Cal from snapping back, “Well, you’ll need to sleep down here on the couch tonight, since it’s such a disturbance.”</p><p>“This is my house,” Leo said, wearing a devilish grin. “You can sleep on the couch.”</p><p>“Actually,” Cal said, drawing the word out and matching his expression with a wide-eyed angelic one of her own, “this is Hazel’s house.”</p><p>The group all turned to Hazel, waiting for her opinion on the matter, and she was all too eager to take the obvious opportunity handed to her. “It’s the couch for you tonight, Leo.”</p><p>Leo’s shouted complaints were drowned out by everyone else laughing. Footsie with Frank continued. Hazel finished her omelette, cooked perfectly and just the way he liked it, because Percy and Leo had made her countless omelettes over the years. As far as mornings went, she thought that one was darn near perfect.</p><p>“I think we should tell Mom,” Hazel said, at the sink with Percy after breakfast, helping to get the dishes done. </p><p>They had a dishwasher, but Hazel always found hand washing soothing, the sharp citrus scent of the dish soap, the warmth of the water, the gentle clangs of china and silverware. It reminded her of summer mornings in Montauk, her stomach full after decimating a tower of Sally’s blue pancakes, a day of splashing in the ocean and sunning on the beach ahead of her. Before the brownstone, that cabin had been Hazel’s true home, the paradise she escaped to during the summer months and dreamed about all through the rest of the year.</p><p>Percy leaned against the counter beside her, accepting dishes to dry after she scrubbed them clean. “It’s your call. We can go see her on Sunday.”</p><p>“She deserves to know,” Hazel replied, voice made quiet by her own shame. “She suffered a lot because of me, too.”</p><p>That day Bianca had died, when Percy had taken the blame, Sally had lost her job. With that job, Sally had lost her housing, because part of her pay package as house manager had been an apartment in the old converted servant’s quarters on the estate. She’d had to return to the city with Percy and search frantically for a job while draining the small savings she’d managed to stockpile in the two years she worked for the di Angelos just to put a roof over their heads and food on the table. Her suffering had been Hazel’s fault, too, just like Percy’s suffering, like Nico’s and Reyna’s and everyone else’s.</p><p>“Hey,” Percy said, nudging Hazel gently with his elbow. When she looked up at him, his smile was small and his eyes bright green pools of forgiveness. “None of it was your fault. Mom never blamed me and she’s not going to blame you, either. I’m actually not sure she doesn’t already know, anyway.”</p><p>Hazel turned her gaze back to the sud filled sink in front of her. “How would she know?”</p><p>“You know Mom,” he replied with a small laugh. “She can always just tell, like she has a sixth sense specifically for the things people try to hide. When we were packing up to leave that afternoon we just threw out what I’d been wearing because we didn’t have time to wait for it to dry. She made a comment about how she thought I knew better than to swim in my clothes, and there was this little sparkle in her eye, like we were sharing some kind of unspoken secret. I think she was trying to tell me she understood, but that I didn’t have to tell her.”</p><p>“That doesn’t mean she knew it was me,” Hazel said, shaking her head.</p><p>“Maybe not at first,” Percy conceded, his voice taking on the airy quality of thoughtfulness, “but I bet she put it together the first time you showed up on our doorstep after running away.”</p><p>Eleven and twelve year old Hazel had concocted several schemes to get herself from upstate to the city before her father had finally given in and allowed her to visit regularly, some of which had been more successful than others. Effectiveness hadn’t really mattered much in the end, because as soon as Hazel had knocked on the door, Sally had called her parents. At the time Hazel thought being returned home was a punishment. She realized now it was simply because keeping her there in secret, at that age, would have constituted kidnapping. Running away to the Jackson’s had just created more problems for them.</p><p>Thinking about that night, and the several other times she’d tried the same, made Hazel heave a sigh. “Showing up like that after everything you both went through on my account was so selfish of me.”</p><p>“Haze, you were like, eleven,” he replied, which was true. “And we never thought you were selfish.”</p><p>Chewing on the inside of her cheek for a few seconds, Hazel lifted her gaze to Percy again. “Could I have another hug?”</p><p>The answer to that was an unflinching yes. Percy wrapped her up in another bone crushing hug, but this time Hazel didn’t complain or try to get away before he was ready to let her go. She finished the dishes while being comforted by the person she least deserved comfort from, the way she had for years, and the way she would continue to for the rest of her life. </p><p>It was close to noon when Reyna called. Hazel excused herself from the living room, where everyone had been crowded around watching reruns of Friends, threatening to turn the lazy morning into an entire lazy day. All eyes turned to her, the concern they’d all been holding back finally written plainly on each of their faces, but no one objected when she got up and headed for the stairs. </p><p>She accepted the call when she was halfway to the second floor with a nervous, “Hey.”</p><p>“Hey,” Reyna replied, sounding just as nervous. “Is this a bad time?”</p><p>“No,” Hazel said, slipping into her room and shutting the door behind her as quietly as possible. “I’m glad you called. I was actually hoping you would.”</p><p>Reyna hummed, otherwise silent for a few beats. </p><p>Outside Hazel’s door, she heard the muffled sounds of Leo and Cal bickering. Leave it to Leo to try eavesdropping when Hazel had purposefully disappeared for privacy. Listening to them exchange sharp whispers, even though she couldn’t tell what they were saying, had Hazel smiling. The fact that their dynamic hadn’t changed at all in the last couple months, that they still teased and pushed each other’s buttons, was strangely sweet. Leo had a big personality. It was easy for him to get carried away with himself. He needed someone who could rise to his level and subsequently take him down a few notches. Cal not only had a gift for it, she seemed to enjoy the adventure of constantly wrangling him.</p><p>“Are you feeling better this morning?” Reyna finally asked, bringing Hazel back to the issue at hand.</p><p>“I am,” Hazel confirmed, though admitting it made the guilt she always wrestled with rear its ugly head. “Are you?”</p><p>“Better might not be the right word,” Reyna said, laughing softly. “My head is clearer this morning, though. I owe you an apology for last night.”</p><p>“You don’t,” Hazel replied quickly. “I’m the one who should be apologizing.”</p><p>“Hazel,” Reyna started, her voice exuding more affection than Hazel felt the right to, “you have nothing to apologize for. Please believe me when I say that.”</p><p>Believing that was difficult, but the alternative terrified her. “You don’t hate me, then?”</p><p>“Never,” Reyna said, her response coming quick and earnest, leaving no room for it to be questioned. “Did you think I would?”</p><p>“You’ve hated Percy all this time,” Hazel replied. </p><p>Pointing it out so bluntly seemed harsh, but this was a time for honesty, and there had never been any denying how much Reyna detested Percy. Any time he came up in conversation, Reyna would <em>tsk</em> or make a catty comment under her breath, and both times she’d seen him in person the last six months had ended terribly. Staying silent as abuse had been hurled at Percy for all those years, and not just at Reyna’s hands, was one of Hazel’s greatest regrets. She should have spoken up much sooner.</p><p>“That…” Reyna said, then fell silent again for a few more seconds, collecting her thoughts. “I can’t say it was different, but I owe him an apology, too. Blaming him… it was easier than blaming myself. Thalia decided to be annoying last night and lead me to that realization.”</p><p>“Why would you blame yourself?” Hazel asked, frowning as she started to pick at the comforter on her unmade bed just for something to do with her hands.</p><p>Again, Reyna took time to find the right words. When she finally spoke, her voice shook. “That afternoon Bianca had been with me first. I told her to get lost, because she was annoying me, because I was eighteen and I was grumpy I had to spend part of the summer away from Thalia when we were about to be going to school on different sides of the country come fall and it was hot and <em>everything</em> was annoying me. The last thing I ever…”</p><p>“It’s okay,” Hazel said when Reyna couldn’t finish that sentence. She had to bite her bottom lip to stave off her own tears. “She knew you didn’t mean it.”</p><p>“You’re the last person who should be comforting me right now,” Reyna replied, the quiet sniffle that followed not going unnoticed.</p><p>Even though a tear spilled down her cheek, Hazel smiled. That was the very same thought Hazel had any time Percy comforted her, and she knew this was how she could repay his endless kindness, by paying it forward to someone who didn’t think they deserved it, either. “Bianca knew you loved her. I don’t think she’d want you doubting that now.”</p><p>“You’re a lot like her, you know,” Reyna offered with a gentle laugh. “That time you tried to run away on <em>horseback</em>? Bianca would have been proud. Hell, she probably would have tried to take a horse with you.”</p><p>Hazel laughed, wiping away her tears and taking a couple shaky breaths. In the shadow of her grief, Hazel rarely remembered the rest of that day, but for a brief moment she allowed herself that indulgence. She remembered the exhilarated screeches they’d both let out as they waded into the frigid lake, and the laughter that had followed. She remembered splashing each other and laughing more. She remembered Bianca’s dark hair, usually almost as black as Nico’s, turning a deep, warm shade of brown in the sunlight. She remembered just being happy her sister wanted to spend the afternoon with her. Those were Hazel’s last memories of Bianca, still as crisp and clear in her mind a decade later as the surface of that cursed lake.</p><p>“Thank you,” Hazel whispered. It was an insufficient sentiment, but all she knew to say.</p><p>The conversation didn’t last much longer. They made plans to have lunch over the weekend to talk more, but that brief exchange was enough to relieve the last of Hazel’s anxiety. Honesty had been one of the hardest and most terrifying choices Hazel ever faced, but it had proved the right one. Next time she would choose it first.</p><p>When she stepped out of her room, Frank waited at the other end of the upstairs hall, leaned against the wall with his hands in his pockets and his face pinched in concern. He only noticed her when she giggled fondly at the expression he wore.</p><p>“Does that mean it went well?” he asked, straightening up, his worry easing instantly.</p><p>“It went really well,” Hazel confirmed. Without another word and as quickly as her feet could carry her, Hazel crossed to where Frank stood, slipping her arms around him and hiding her face in his shirt. More tears spilled over as he wrapped his arms back around her. At least she could say with confidence they were happy tears, relieved tears, grateful tears. </p><p>Hazel settled herself against him, drawing from the quiet, warm and sweet strength he offered, and sent up a silent prayer of thanks life had led her to this – to hot chocolate first thing in the morning and a house full of people she loved, to the security of Frank’s arms and the forgiveness she finally felt ready to start granting herself.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Vanilla & Cinnamon</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>FIRST OFF! big time spoilers for chapters 82/83, and then small time spoilers for chapter 84 of the main story!</p><p>this piece started as a few different things that ended up kind of... coming together. there was an alternate jason piece i wrote set in about the same time period, but as things later in the story developed a lot of it had to be cut. the bits that remained relevant ended up in here, so it worked out! but i'd actually thought about scrapping it all entirely and just leaving jason's pov as a mystery a little longer. </p><p>that changed when, on a whim (and partially for future reference), i decided to entertain myself by writing out percy's texts. i got like... ten texts in and then asked myself, why isn't jason responding? what's going on here? and from there started interjecting the more in depth jason narrative. the important bits from that previous piece ended up fitting in well and by the end of writing it, i actually had something i really liked. </p><p>as for the ending... 👀 see y'all in 85.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Two days passed from the afternoon Piper broke up with Jason to when he received his first text from Percy.</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:23PM, SAT MAY 24)</strong><br/>
how u holding up?</p><p>Jason stared at the message for a long time, wondering how he was supposed to answer that question. There didn’t seem to be a way to put those feelings into text. No words could suffice for describing the constant ache in his chest, the disappointment that came with waking up in the morning and knowing she wasn’t there beside him, the anger that simmered beneath his surface every minute of the day, or the confusion that kept him up until all hours of the night.</p><p>He knew he should reply. Percy was his friend. Percy was Piper’s friend, too, though. More importantly, he was Annabeth’s boyfriend, and Annabeth was the most important person in Piper’s life. Jason may not have had much experience with dating – and breaking up – but he knew the way these things worked. When everything settled, Percy would be on <em>her</em> side of things. He didn’t bother replying.</p><p><strong>PERCY (10:45AM, SUN MAY 25)</strong><br/>
sry i touched ur underwear<br/>
u ok tho?</p><p><em>Thanks for the reminder</em>, Jason thought miserably, staring at the boxes now stacked in the corner of his bedroom – it had taken three to contain all his crap, from books, to chargers, to clothes, to his toothbrush and toothpaste. Frank had delivered them the night before as the final link in the chain of connections from Piper to Jason. Those things didn’t belong in his room anymore. They belonged in Piper’s.</p><p>She should have just kept it all. Even his own clothes smelled like her, vanilla and cinnamon and <em>happiness</em>, as if she’d become so entwined with him over the course of the last five months that there was no real telling where he ended and she began. The idea of going through those boxes and sorting out his possessions made his stomach roll and bile rise in his throat. Jason didn’t want this. He didn’t want any of it.</p><p>He wanted to reply. He wanted his friend. For the second time, he didn’t bother. He never got what he wanted, anyway.</p><p><strong>PERCY (01:02PM, MON MAY 26)</strong><br/>
jason<br/>
hey jason<br/>
jason<br/>
hey<br/>
hey jason<br/>
jason<br/>
jason<br/>
hey</p><p>“That was a lot of messages all at once,” Thalia observed as Jason entered the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge. “Is everything okay?”</p><p>“It’s just Percy,” Jason replied, not even bothering to look at his phone. No one else would be texting him now, at least not anyone who would text that many times in quick succession. </p><p>Piper would have, of course, because she was excited about some movie trailer she’d just watched, or annoyed by some asshole in line while she was getting coffee, or any other absolutely mundane thing she just <em>needed</em> to tell him every little detail about. There was nothing Piper needed to tell him anymore. The only possibility was Percy.</p><p>“Are you going to reply?” Thalia asked, watching him with guarded eyes, a hint of judgment in her voice. “Or even look at them?”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:12PM, MON MAY 26)</strong><br/>
i meant to say smth more but coach yelled at me for being on my phone<br/>
anyway<br/>
im worried about u</p><p>This time Jason did look at the texts and he regretted it almost immediately. The least Percy deserved was a quick message or two confirming Jason was alive, and maybe some excuse for why he didn’t want Percy to keep texting. </p><p>That was the issue, Jason did want Percy to keep texting. Jason wanted to salvage their friendship and not have Percy on the other side of some arbitrary line of people who were <em>Piper’s</em> and people who were <em>Jason’s</em>. They were all adults. There was no reason they couldn’t at least try staying friends. Leaving Percy on read and hoping the messages kept coming indefinitely, until Jason randomly decided it was time to actually be a half decent friend back, was an immature, selfish, childish thing to do. It was a very Piper thing to do.</p><p>That thought had him letting out an audible groan in frustration and he flipped his phone over, refusing to look at the screen for even a second more.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:14PM, MON MAY 26)</strong><br/>
if u dont reply im just going to start txting u random shit<br/>
like how coach had a seed stuck in his teeth all thru practice</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:15PM, MON MAY 26)</strong><br/>
or how i found a nickel on the sidewalk on my way home<br/>
u will be victim to my every passing thought<br/>
i will annoy u into submission grace<br/>
consider this ur last warning before tmr</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:18PM, MON MAY 26)</strong><br/>
wait do u even kno what nickels are<br/>
like have u ever seen one?<br/>
or r u too rich for nickels</p><p>“Oh my god,” Thalia groaned, because that string of messages came just as Jason had been once again getting a bottle of water from the kitchen. “Just text him back, Jace. The poor guy is obviously obsessed with you, at least let him down easy so he can move on.”</p><p>Jason didn’t respond to his sister and he didn’t reply to Percy’s texts.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:32AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
RISE AND SHINE<br/>
were doing the annoying thing<br/>
and yes it starts at 6am</p><p>Having only just dozed off when the messages came, the ding was enough to rouse Jason. He reached for his phone, squinting against the harsh light of his screen in his otherwise blackened bedroom, and sighed. Jason never silenced his phone, always worried someone would need him in an emergency, but he put the volume all the way down, dropped his phone face first on his bedside table, and rolled over to try getting some sleep before he had to be up at eight.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:55AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
dont u think eggs are weird?<br/>
theyre so weird to me</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:57AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
who thought of eating eggs<br/>
like saw a chicken pop one out its butt and thought<br/>
yum</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:58AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
i mean<br/>
they were right<br/>
but still</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:01AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
wait<br/>
where do chickens even lay eggs from?</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:12AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
u think they ate other kinds of eggs first?</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:15AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
beth says if i keep txting u like this ur gonna block me<br/>
so im just warning u<br/>
i will absolutely get a burner phone<br/>
and another<br/>
and another</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:26AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
do british ppl think we have accents?<br/>
they do, right?</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:33AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
wasnt there a movie with daniel craig where he played a cowboy?<br/>
and his accent was all weird bc he was trying to sound american?<br/>
or like that guy in twilight</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:38AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
beth quoted twilight at me once<br/>
sometimes i really worry about that girl</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:54AM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
ok i wont message u for a while<br/>
but its not because im giving up<br/>
its just bc i cant txt and swim</p><p>When Jason’s alarm went off, he begrudgingly checked his phone and was not surprised to find Percy had kept the promise to subject him to every passing thought. He told himself it was the lack of sleep and subsequent drowsiness, but as he scanned the messages, Jason laughed. That was the first time he’d managed to smile, let alone laugh, in the greater part of a week. Definitely the drowsiness.</p><p>As he forced himself out of bed, Jason pretended he wasn’t waiting for the next message to come in. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. He went to the kitchen for water. He grabbed the massive pile of reading he needed to get through that day and retreated back to his bedroom, where he’d been spending most of his time the last five days.</p><p>The hours dragged without a text, Jason fighting to convince himself he wasn’t looking forward to the next one. It was a nice distraction from his pain, actively lying to himself about Percy’s messages. If he was focused on pretending to be annoyed by those texts, he wasn’t thinking about how he had to spend half an hour looking up some random term Piper probably would have known, or remembering how she had an adorable habit of coming up behind him at his desk, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and tucking her face into the crook of his neck just because. Keeping an eye on his phone meant Jason wasn’t looking at the stack of boxes, still not unpacked.</p><p>It unfortunately didn’t help protect him from the scent of vanilla and cinnamon that now hung in the air as a permanent fixture. Jason didn’t mind that too much, though. It smelled like home.</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:02PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
explain to me<br/>
why i never get used to getting water up my nose?<br/>
haven’t i earned the right to be immune to that?</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:06PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
u eating tho?<br/>
dont skip meals<br/>
also dont pretend mashed potatoes are a meal<br/>
eat some protein u cretin</p><p>For a second, staring at that last message, Jason’s fingers itched to reply. He’d done that once and it was because he hadn’t been feeling well. No one ever let him forget it. Percy hadn’t even been there, just heard about it second hand the millions of times Piper and Annabeth had decided to bring it up to taunt him.</p><p>Then he realized he’d have to admit he was skipping meals if he dared finally cross the line into replying and the urge left him entirely. </p><p>Since Thursday the previous week, he’d barely eaten anything – a protein bar here, some cheese and crackers there, a bowl of cereal or some toast. Mostly he subsisted on water, the bare minimum to keep himself alive. Jason wasn’t trying to be self-destructive, he just didn’t have an appetite, and meals usually meant sitting down with his family. Sitting down with his family meant talking. Talking meant pesky questions Jason wasn’t ready to think about the answers to.</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:10PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
really?<br/>
not even going to reassure me ur eating?<br/>
or tell me how impressed u r with the word cretin?<br/>
rude</p><p><em>Yeah, I know</em>, Jason thought. That one hit a little too close to home, so Jason turned his phone over on his desk and decided to let the messages pile up for a while again.</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:33PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
circling back to daniel craig<br/>
did u kno he was in star wars?<br/>
he had like one line as a storm trooper<br/>
u prob do kno</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:36PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
ur disturbing grasp on pop culture trivia is one of my fav things about u</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:48PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
jason<br/>
this is very important<br/>
like actually very important</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:50PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
we should get season tickets to the knicks this year</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:52PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
dont tell beth tho<br/>
bc shed say theyre too expensive<br/>
it can just be our secret</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:57PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
nvm i just looked up how much they cost<br/>
beth would be right<br/>
not telling her i said that can be our secret instead</p><p><strong>PERCY (01:03PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
ok back to work</p><p>When Jason finally got around to reading those texts, most of the afternoon had already passed. It was a curious thing to read them, his head beginning to ache and the words not computing at first. For days Jason had been blowing Percy off, ignoring his texts and maintaining complete silence, and yet Percy had just suggested they get tickets for a season that wouldn’t begin until October, tickets that would have them at probably every home game for the next six months after that. In a few offhand words, Percy had displayed complete and unwavering faith in their friendship, faith it would still be a fixture in their lives in October, faith it would remain unchanged into next year.</p><p>They hadn’t started out friends, but they’d warmed up quick enough. It started almost accidentally, in late February, after the trip to Malibu. A Knicks game was just on, Piper was at class, Annabeth was working on some project in her room, and Jason and Percy were just both there. They watched it together. And then they watched the next game together, and the one after that, never missing a game for the rest of the season until the Knicks failed to make the playoffs.</p><p>Before, Jason had never had anyone to watch basketball with him. Frank had enjoyed playing, but never really got into <em>watching</em>. Jason understood that. Watching and playing were very different experiences. Nico hated all sports. Full stop. No exceptions ever. If Jason even said the word <em>ball</em> Nico’s eyes would glaze over and he’d get a look on his face like he was hoping he’d be struck dead on the spot. Thalia and Reyna enjoyed watching games casually, but they didn’t care enough to keep up on a regular basis.</p><p>It had been such an unsuspecting thing, but sitting there, thinking about it, Jason realized Percy had filled a small, unknown hole in his life. Theirs was a friendship Jason had not been looking for. Quite the contrary – Jason had been resistant to their friendship in the beginning, hesitant to be anything more than superficially friendly. Percy’s friendship was something Jason had needed, though.</p><p>Exhaustion dragged Jason down and he knew it was time to force himself to eat something. While he walked to the kitchen he didn’t reply to Percy’s texts, but he did have his phone out. Season tickets to the Knicks couldn’t be <em>that</em> expensive and Percy’s birthday <em>was</em> coming up in a couple months. Maybe Jason wasn’t ready to reply to those messages yet, but if Percy had so much faith, Jason could allow himself to at least entertain the idea.</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:22PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
new idea<br/>
u have too much money<br/>
just buy the knicks</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:34PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
no srsly<br/>
what’s stopping u?<br/>
just do it<br/>
just buy the knicks<br/>
like surprise everybody!<br/>
this team is mine now</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:48PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
i think beth sensed me being a bad influence<br/>
bc she called right after i sent that last txt</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:56PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
no but for real<br/>
buy the knicks</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:10PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
jason im being srs right now<br/>
i think buying the knicks would be good for u<br/>
are they even for sale?<br/>
i genuinely have no idea how this works<br/>
let me do some research and get back to u<br/>
or ill forget about it by tmr<br/>
who really knos</p><p>“Please,” Thalia said, when Jason emerged from his room, phone still chirping with every new message, “for the love of God, just answer him.”</p><p>“Who?” Reyna asked, at the stove making what looked like stir-fry. Thalia stood behind her, chin resting comfortably on Reyna’s shoulder, arms around her waist, watching her cook like a picture of complete and perfect domestic bliss. Usually Jason loved Reyna’s stir-fry, but he’d had a peanut butter sandwich earlier and the idea of eating anything at the moment made him mentally recoil.</p><p>He opted not to answer, so Thalia heaved a dramatic sigh. “Percy. The guy’s been texting Jason every ten seconds the last two days and Jason just keeps ignoring him.”</p><p>“Why?”</p><p>“Where? When? How?” Jason muttered under his breath as he opened the fridge to grab a bottle of water.</p><p>“Oh, he’s in a <em>mood</em>,” Reyna replied, tone dripping with sarcasm. “He’s decided to be a little snarky tonight, Thals. This is a new development.”</p><p>“Probably because he hasn’t had a proper meal in days,” Thalia suggested, watching Jason closely as he moved through the kitchen from her spot clinging to Reyna. “Or taken a shower. Or left the apartment. Or spoken to anyone but me.”</p><p>“I talked to Frank,” Jason objected, popping his water bottle open as he stopped at the edge of the kitchen in hopes he might be able to make a quick get away.</p><p>Thalia snorted a laugh. “That’s not what Frank said.”</p><p>“Frank’s lying,” Jason lied. He’d said all of one word to Frank the day the boxes came. Even Jason could admit that didn’t count as talking to someone.</p><p>“Has Frank Zhang ever told a lie?” Thalia asked, craning her head to try and look at Reyna.</p><p>Reyna considered this for a few seconds, shaking her pan over the stove in a well practiced manner. It did smell good. “Once,” she finally decided. “A few months ago he told Nico and me to our faces that he didn’t have a crush on Hazel. You know how he has that really great poker face? Yeah, only works for actual poker. He’s a shit liar.”</p><p>“And so are you,” Thalia added, looking back at Jason.</p><p>The constant ping of messages from Percy much preferred to whatever was happening in that kitchen, Jason rolled his eyes and made his exit without another word.</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:22PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
gonna be real dude<br/>
i thought u wouldve snapped by now<br/>
im actually kind of impressed</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:24PM, TUE MAY 27)</strong><br/>
that means this is a challenge now<br/>
im going to let you go for the night<br/>
but we start bright and early again tmr</p><p><em>Bright and early tomorrow</em>, Jason thought, looking at those last few messages. He hadn’t managed to get as much work done as he’d set out to do, but he knew he was too tired to effectively do anything else. Honestly, he’d been too tired to do anything for days, but he had to try. </p><p>Too many people were going to be depending on him when he started his new job the next Monday, people who had nothing to do with his family, whose livelihoods depended on the magazine for which they worked. It was a successful publication, yes, but that didn’t guarantee anything. Jason could ruin everything with one bad call, bring the whole thing down in a matter of months. His father didn’t care if that happened. His father didn’t care about all the people who would be out of jobs. Jason cared, though, and he would not ruin their lives.</p><p>He was going to, though. Jason knew it, could feel it. No matter how much time he put into studying, how hard he worked at preparing, there was no doubt in his mind he was destined to screw it all up. That wouldn’t matter to his father, though. Jason would just be moved elsewhere before the world crashed down so someone else ended up pinned with the blame, another life ruined, and a fresh opportunity for Jason to screw up in all new ways.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:14AM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
GOOD MORNING ASSHOLE<br/>
today i will not entertain u with my thoughts on eggs<br/>
instead were gonna talk about bread<br/>
let me make breakfast first tho</p><p>Jason woke with a start when his phone pinged, blinking around his bedroom. He’d fallen asleep at his desk, slept through the entire night. Rubbing his eyes with one hand, he checked the time and Percy’s messages on his phone. It didn’t seem possible it could be morning, but Jason didn’t think his phone’s clock would lie to him, and it must have been morning if Percy was texting.</p><p>Sleeping wasn’t the worst part of breaking up, but it certainly wasn’t a walk in the park, either.</p><p>It scared him, how much he missed simply sleeping next to Piper. There were countless things he missed about her, more than he could probably ever get around to listing, but when he was awake he could distract himself. There was nothing to distract him while he tried to fall asleep, though. Instead he was forced to face the cold reality of her absence – no quiet little snores, no mumbling sleep talk, no scent of vanilla and cinnamon clinging to the air around her, no soft and warm body to curl up against when he was chilled, just silence and emptiness.</p><p>They’d spent plenty of nights apart while they were dating. Jason hadn’t struggled as much to fall asleep then, even though he did prefer her there beside him. The finality of knowing it would never happen again, that he would never again wake up to the sight of her hair tangled and splayed across her pillow or the grumpy little pout she wore any time she had to wake up before noon, made the longing for her exponentially worse.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:40AM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
ok i lied<br/>
apparently i have no thoughts about bread<br/>
breads good<br/>
thats it</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:46AM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
back on the eggs tho<br/>
did the ppl who ate them first just like<br/>
eat them raw?<br/>
when did cooking become involved?</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:54AM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
what do u think was the first way they cooked eggs?<br/>
sunny side up probably<br/>
but scrambled is best<br/>
i wonder how long it took to scramble them<br/>
im glad i wasnt born before scrambled eggs</p><p>“You’re up early,” Reyna observed as Jason entered the kitchen for his morning bottle of water. Already dressed for work, she sat on one of the stools at the counter with a bowl of cereal in her hands and a newspaper spread out in front of her.</p><p>Jason shrugged. Rest had improved his mood only infinitesimally.</p><p>Reyna waited a few beats for Jason to say something and then sighed. “Did you not sleep?”</p><p>“I did,” he replied, bringing his bottle of water into the kitchen and leaning against a counter opposite Reyna. He popped it open and took several big gulps before slouching and letting out a sigh.</p><p>“You need to eat something,” she said, her tone firm but not unforgiving. That was more patience than Thalia had been affording him the last few days, and probably more than he deserved considering how short he’d been with both of them the night before. “Your sister gives you a bad time, but she’s really worried.”</p><p>“And you’re not?” he asked, defensive and gruff. Apparently knowing it was wrong to be short with her would not stop him from continuing to do it.</p><p>She stared at him for several seconds, the flatness of her expression telling him she wasn’t amused in the least bit. “Don’t insult me, Jason Grace. Of course I am.”</p><p>Hanging his head in shame for snapping at her, Jason picked at the label on his water bottle. This wasn’t like him. Jason wasn’t the type of person who lashed out at his loved ones, or ignored texts from his friends, or worried his family by skipping meals for days on end. Once upon a time he also hadn’t been the type of person to get a tattoo spontaneously, or skip classes with his girlfriend, or throw caution to the wind and kiss a friend on a dare. Now he didn’t know what kind of person he was.</p><p>“Do we have eggs?” he asked softly, finally meeting Reyna’s eye again.</p><p>Cocking her head to one side in confusion, she studied him for a few more seconds, clearly trying to decide if that question was some kind of trick. “Yeah, I think so.”</p><p>“Good,” Jason replied. “I’m hungry.”</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:02PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
i forgot to shave<br/>
and its throwing my whole day off<br/>
pls send help<br/>
and by help i mean a razor</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:45PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
cant even think of annoying things to say<br/>
bc my face is scratchy<br/>
im too annoyed to annoy you</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:58PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
maybe i should just grow a beard</p><p>Shaving was something Jason hadn’t done for days himself, along with the other self care tasks he’d been neglecting. The first couple days had been itchy, and it was still somewhat startling when he touched his face and discovered coarse hair there, but otherwise it had stopped bothering him. He had never even considered growing a beard before, not that he was really growing one on <em>purpose</em> now, but the thought intrigued him.</p><p>In the early afternoon, Jason found himself standing in front of the mirror in his bathroom, examining the growth that had come in on his face. The hair was a shade darker than what grew on his head, but still very blonde. He tried to picture himself in more than just the t-shirt and sweats he’d been wearing for too long without changing – in a suit, rolling up for his first day on the job, with a few more days of growth to fill out the slightly patchy spots. For several seconds he deliberated on whether it made him look dignified or whether he just looked like a boy playing at being a grown man.</p><p>Jason turned his head to the side, following the movement with his eyes, and then it hit him – he looked like his father. People had always told him he looked like a young Jove Grace, just blonde and a hint taller, more than any of his brothers. They had the same jawline, similarly shaped brow bones, identical broad foreheads. The blue eyes were the same, too. The sight unsettled him, Jason’s skin crawling.</p><p>It would be so easy for him to become his father. Too easy, he realized. The potential was there, deep down, and it always had been. Jason could give up, go into his new job doing the bare minimum while expecting the maximum reward, not sparing a second thought for who might get hurt in the process. He could take the family business and bend the world to his will, become the thing he hated because it was his right, and because what he loved had already been destroyed anyway.</p><p>Before the thoughts had even fully formed in his mind, Jason reached for his shaving cream and razor. </p><p>No, he would not become his father.</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:32PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
been thinking more about bread<br/>
and ive decided i have more thoughts</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:35PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
like multigrain is my favorite for toast<br/>
but if i want a grilled cheese that shit has to be on white bread<br/>
idc its just wrong on any other kind<br/>
its flavorless but thats the point<br/>
i dont need flavor<br/>
i need a delivery vessel for the gooey cheese</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:02PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
on one of our first lunch outings leo took us to this fondue place<br/>
and frank almost didnt tell us he was lactose intolerant<br/>
he was just gonna eat the cheese<br/>
hazel was like<br/>
????<br/>
then he admitted it and we got sandwiches instead</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:04PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
which is all to say<br/>
i kno ur in shit shape<br/>
bc frank is here and just told me<br/>
said u havent been to the gym since graduation day</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:07PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
not sayin were gonna fight if u dont go to the gym with him tmr<br/>
but were gonna fight if u dont go to the gym with him tmr<br/>
get ur ass up in the morning<br/>
eat breakfast<br/>
spot frank so he doesnt crush himself on the bench press<br/>
exercise will be good for u</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:22PM, WED MAY 28)</strong><br/>
beth asked what us fighting is supposed to look like<br/>
since ur not even txting me back<br/>
idk man but ill find a way<br/>
ill leave u on that note tonight</p><p>It wasn’t because Percy threatened to fight him. Jason was not afraid of Percy Jackson. He could definitely take the guy in a fight, even a week deep into not eating or sleeping properly.</p><p>The following morning, exactly one week after Jason’s heart had been shattered, he got himself up, took a shower, <em>shaved</em>, made himself a breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast, and met Frank in the living room the way he had every morning for years. Frank blinked at him in surprise for a few seconds, but then smiled. They didn’t say anything, or acknowledge the last week of Jason skipping these morning workouts, just stepped into the elevator and hit the button for the gym’s floor.</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:14AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
r u awake?<br/>
r u at the gym?<br/>
im txting frank right now so<br/>
if ur not ill kno</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:35AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
beth says shes getting jealous bc i txt u more than her<br/>
shes not wrong<br/>
but she doesnt txt me either???</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:57AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
shes worried about u too u kno<br/>
it was actually beth who asked frank about u last night</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:12AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
just u kno<br/>
maybe shoot her a txt if not me<br/>
ill even get off ur back if u txt her</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:16AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
maybe</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:46AM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
nah i wont<br/>
still txt her tho</p><p>When Jason made it back up to his room, after he’d taken another shower to wash away the sweat he’d worked up, he spent some time just sitting at his desk, contemplating the string of morning texts that had come while he was working out.</p><p>Working out had made him feel a little more himself – a version of himself that was hollow and dejected, but more himself nonetheless. Percy had been right about the exercise being good for him. Objectively speaking, Jason knew that meant the other things Percy kept telling him were also true. He should finally text Percy back. He should text Annabeth, too, even if he wasn’t sure what he might say to her, or if it was even possible for them to salvage anything from the friendship they had built.</p><p>He remembered the evening a few days after she had met her mother, the four of them sitting around in the living room, when Annabeth had so gently called Jason <em>family</em>. It seemed impossible to him that classification could still stand in a world where Jason was no longer attached to Piper. He’d been family because he was with Annabeth’s best friend, like an unofficial in-law. Jason did not doubt Annabeth still cared about him, that her concern was genuine, but that didn’t mean she would or could see him as anything more than a casual friend now.</p><p>Jason wanted to text Annabeth, just like he wanted to text Percy. Again he reminded himself, all too bitterly, he never got what he wanted.</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:07PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
frank vouched for u<br/>
guess we dont have to fight<br/>
was kinda looking forward to kicking ur ass tho</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:47PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
hmmm<br/>
threatening to fight u worked tho<br/>
maybe i should keep giving u these ultimatums<br/>
go eat lunch or were fighting</p><p>Jason snorted at that last text, already pulling on his shoes because he was about to go out and do that very thing. The workout that morning had restored his appetite, but there was nothing in the apartment he felt like eating. That meant he had to leave the apartment for the first time in a week.</p><p>“What’s happening?” Thalia asked, as soon as Jason emerged from his room, dressed in a short sleeved button up and khaki shorts. She stood at the end of the opposite hall, still in her pajamas because her days usually didn’t start until the evening.</p><p>“I’m going to that Italian place down the street,” Jason answered, stopping to grab himself a bottle of water from the fridge – for the first time in a while he wanted that water because he was thirsty and not as a replacement for food. “You want anything?”</p><p>“Did you text Percy?” she asked, instead of answering.</p><p>He sighed, not sure what that had to do with going to get lunch. “No.”</p><p>“Are you going to?”</p><p>“I don’t know,” he replied with a shrug, making a b-line for the elevator. Jason didn’t want to talk about the texts, about Percy or what he was going to do beyond getting himself some chicken cacciatore. </p><p>The last thing Jason saw before the elevator doors closed was the angry glare Thalia used to turn on him when he was a kid, and she was just barely less of one, and he’d done something that could get himself hurt.</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:04PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
so i never realized what gossips everyone we kno are<br/>
bc word on the street is u got lunch<br/>
and by the street is mean ur sister txting frank and frank txting hazel and hazel txting me</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:10PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
actually<br/>
i always knew hazel was a gossip<br/>
lil surprised about frank<br/>
but love changes a person</p><p>
  <em>Love changes a person.</em>
</p><p>Jason was supposed to be working through the most recent quarterly report for his magazine, but instead he stared at the wall in front of his desk, thinking about those words. Percy had probably meant them as a joke, just an offhand comment, but that was the thing about words – their intention rarely mattered as much as their interpretation. A joke to Percy. A haunting question to Jason.</p><p>
  <em>Did love change me?</em>
</p><p>The answer to that question would require Jason knowing both who he had been before and who he had become. It was not the first time he’d found himself wondering about those things, and he doubted it would be the last. Trying to find the answers scared him, though. There was a chance he wouldn’t like them – wouldn’t like the person he used to be, wouldn’t like to realize love <em>hadn’t</em> changed him. He wanted to be changed. For better or worse, Jason wanted to know he was not the person he had been six months ago.</p><p>
  <em>I never get what I want, though.</em>
</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:33PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
ok so<br/>
get this<br/>
i left at like what?<br/>
7 this morning?<br/>
and beth was in bed<br/>
i get home just now<br/>
jason<br/>
shes still in bed</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:42PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
im not sure i even kno who she is anymore<br/>
very eye opening experience</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:48PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
i have made a mistake<br/>
she was not still in bed<br/>
just got back in a lil bit ago<br/>
she did all our laundry while i was gone</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:50PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
and deep cleaned the kitchen<br/>
i dont even kno what that means</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:52PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
if i die tonight show these txts to the police<br/>
bc it was def beth who murdered me<br/>
not kidding jason this is the end of my life</p><p><strong>PERCY (08:02PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
pretty cute when shes mad tho</p><p><strong>PERCY (08:14PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
i actually cant believe i told u that<br/>
im beginning to forget this is u and not just like<br/>
a void im screaming into</p><p><strong>PERCY (08:16PM, THUR MAY 29)</strong><br/>
calling it a night mr void</p><p>It was a different kind of wondering Jason found himself doing when he finally crawled in a bed to call it a night himself.</p><p>He remembered the way Percy and Annabeth fought. Often times he’d been there to witness their arguments first hand. They confronted each other about everything – about Percy leaving his junk around and about Annabeth eating <em>his</em> food, about Percy not being punctual enough and about Annabeth kicking him in her sleep. If something bothered them, they didn’t hold it back, they got angry and they hashed it out right there in the moment. Seeing it in person was a little frightening, but in the end they would come back together, a little lighter than before, and the thing that had been so frightening became beautiful instead.</p><p>A couple times Jason and Piper had argued, but those disagreements had been few and far between. Piper had always told Jason he was perfect. It had never been an accusation, rather something said in reverence, disbelief. Being called perfect frustrated him, though. He wasn’t perfect, but the more she’d said it, the more he worried he needed to be, the more he worried he was destined to disappoint her. </p><p>They didn’t argue about the small things. Once he’d thought that was good, that it signaled maturity and understanding on their part. In bed that night he started to doubt his own assumption. Maybe Piper really had thought he was perfect. Maybe she’d finally realized he wasn’t.</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:22AM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
my bladder woke me up too early<br/>
but theres no point going back to sleep now<br/>
so good morning mr void</p><p><strong>PERCY (05:34AM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
im hungry but if i eat now im gonna be hungry again too early<br/>
maybe ill make pancakes with my eggs today<br/>
oh<br/>
thats a good idea</p><p><strong>PERCY (05: 41AM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
didnt die btw<br/>
unless this is just beth txting u as a cover<br/>
u may never kno the truth</p><p>Jason laughed when he woke up to get ready for the gym to the especially early chain of texts from Percy. For several minutes he sat in bed staring at his phone, contemplating a response. He didn’t understand what kept holding him back. Talking to Percy was something he <em>wanted</em>. Jason was a grown man. Wanting to text a friend shouldn’t have terrified him.</p><p>But it did, so he tossed his phone aside and went to get ready.</p><p>Down in the gym Jason could almost forget everything – his lot in life, his broken heart, the fear of wanting anything that crippled him. The strange odor of leather, sweat and cleaning solution burned both his nostrils and all the thoughts from his mind. The quiet drone of treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes combined with the irregular clang of metal on metal as weights were lifted and returned to their resting places acted as a lullaby, momentarily soothing the ache in his chest. These things were familiar, a constant in his life since he’d been in high school, the sole corner of his life that remained unchanged in the wake of Piper McLean.</p><p>“Do you know Will Solace very well?”</p><p>The question startled Jason for two reasons. One, it came from Frank and Jason had no idea why Frank would be asking about Piper’s step-brother. Two, Frank was bench pressing and shouldn’t have been able to talk, even if it had been grunted through clenched teeth. Sometimes Frank’s sheer strength terrified even Jason.</p><p>Jason helped Frank get the bar secured above his head before answering. “Not super well, but I guess. Why?”</p><p>“He’s staying at the brownstone. When Leo moves out he’s going to take that room,” Frank replied, his lips set into a grimace and his eyes staring up at the ceiling.</p><p>“That worries you?” Jason asked, only becoming more surprised.</p><p>Not having heard this development didn’t surprise Jason much. Jason’s only connection to Will was Piper and no one talked to Jason about Piper things. No, the surprise came from the fact they were having a conversation at all. It was unusual for the two of them to talk about anything while they were at the gym. Actually, it was unusual for them to talk about anything in general. Jason had always felt comfortable and close with Frank, but generally they filled their time with exercise and video games. It wasn’t even until Annabeth had told him that Jason had found out about Frank’s crush on Hazel, and apparently <em>that</em> had been going on for literal years. </p><p>Sometimes Jason wondered if that was bad, if they should be more open with each other, but then he thought about how much he enjoyed spending time with Frank, how easy and relaxing the hours they spent together were, and he knew he wouldn’t change a thing. Moments like this were why he didn’t doubt that call – it wasn’t that they <em>couldn’t</em> talk to each other when something important came up, they just didn’t feel the need to force themselves to make small talk. They’d been through enough together not to need a constant stream of words.</p><p>Still laid back on the bench, Frank stared more intently at the ceiling above him as he caught his breath, weighing what he wanted to say carefully. “He’s really handsome,” he finally replied. “Seems cool too, and smart.”</p><p>Figuring out what Frank meant took Jason several seconds, but then a smile started to pull at his lips. “Are you jealous?”</p><p>“Maybe,” Frank answered glumly, sitting up on the bench, shoulders slumped.</p><p>“Will’s a good guy,” Jason told him, fighting the urge to laugh. Instead he focused his energy on trying to find the right words to reassure Frank without accidentally outing Will to a new acquaintance prematurely. “You don’t need to worry about anything, though. Hazel’s not his type and, even if she was, she’s crazy about you. You’ve probably noticed more about him than she has.”</p><p>Frank looked back at Jason, a skeptical eyebrow raised. “Hazel’s not his type?”</p><p>“No,” Jason assured him.</p><p>“Must have bad taste, then,” Frank mumbled, then got to his feet. When they’d swapped positions, Jason laid down on the bench to start his first set of reps, Frank looked down at him and said, a little sheepish, “Sorry if bringing Will up… you know, hit a sore spot.”</p><p>Not allowing himself even a second to think about it, Jason replied, “Don’t worry about it,” and then focused all his energy on the rest of their workout.</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:44AM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
so in a stroke of genius<br/>
i made pancakes<br/>
and brought breakfast to beth in bed<br/>
looks like death wont get me today</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:52AM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
i ate too much tho<br/>
why did you let me make pancakes jason</p><p>“Have you texted him yet?” Thalia demanded, appearing in Jason’s bedroom doorway. At mid-morning, she’d just woken up, her hair sticking out in every direction, her face still imprinted by a wrinkle from her pillowcase.</p><p>Jason propped an elbow on his desk and rested his forehead in his palm, letting out a heavy sigh. “Do you think about anything but me texting Percy?”</p><p>“Right now? Not really,” she replied, leaning against the door frame, arms crossed, her eyes hard and lips set into the scowl Jason had learned at about six years old meant trying to bullshit her would land him in a world of hurt. “I’m worried about you, Jason. We need to talk about it.”</p><p>That expression had never stopped him from trying to bullshit her, though, that morning being no exception. “Talk about what?”</p><p>“I’m not in the mood for you to act dumb,” she replied, the scowl deepening and her eyes narrowing.</p><p>For over a week he’d avoided talking about <em>it</em>, about Piper and his feelings and everything wrapped up in both of them. The only times he felt himself were when he thought about nothing, refused to acknowledge anything beyond the moment he lived in and whatever mundane task he occupied himself with. Talking would mean admitting how scared he’d become.</p><p>“This is it, Thalia,” he said, throwing his hand down and sitting straight to look at her. “This is all I get. I get what I’ve always got – what Dad chooses for me. Should we talk about that?”</p><p>Immediately Thalia softened, the way she always did when Jason brought up what their father had decided to put on him. “We can both blame him for a lot of shit, Jace, but this is different.”</p><p>He had no answer for that, no answer he was ready to give, no answer that didn’t terrify him.</p><p>“Do you remember those years Reyna and I spent apart?” she asked after a minute of silence had passed between them, pain seeping into her voice and eyes.</p><p>Of all the things they’d shared, Thalia had never broached the subject of <em>those years</em>. Jason remembered them, of course. He remembered Thalia being a little different, unhappy, more reckless than she’d been when they were young. At the time he’d thought she was just adjusting to adulthood, perhaps rebelling late in life because she hadn’t been able to before Jason could take care of himself. In hindsight he’d realized she was trying to make sense of the world without Reyna – and he didn’t think she’d ever quite figured it out.</p><p>“How could I forget?” Jason asked softly in return.</p><p>“I broke up with her, you know,” Thalia offered with a hint of disbelief, as if even she couldn’t fathom what she’d done all those years ago. “Part of me really thought it was the right thing to do. When she left for school in California I thought I’d be holding her back if I didn’t let her go. I looked her in the eye and I told her we should break up and she just… accepted it. Said okay. Left.”</p><p>His brow furrowed, Jason looked at his sister. That was, more or less, exactly what he’d done. “What else was she supposed to do?”</p><p>Thalia shrugged. “I’m not saying she was wrong, or even that I blame her, because I don’t.”</p><p>“She wasn’t wrong,” Jason agreed, unsure whether his frustration was at his sister or himself.</p><p>“No,” Thalia said, again shrugging, “but that didn’t stop it from feeling like shit. If what we had was so easy for her to toss aside, it didn’t make sense for me to sit around mourning it. It wasn’t even a month later that I went on my first date. Fucked around a lot, especially that first year, trying to make that pain go away. Ended up hurting Rey even more because of it.”</p><p>“What are you trying to tell me, Thals?” he pleaded, becoming more exhausted by the second.</p><p>Jason didn’t want to think about Piper hurting. He didn’t want to think about how she had looked at him a week ago, still in her dress from the night before, eyes bloodshot and puffy, makeup streaked down her face, arms wrapped around herself defensively. He didn’t want to think about her a month from then, at some club, meeting some other guy at the bar to take home and drown her sorrows in. He didn’t want to think about her believing, even for a second, that what they’d shared hadn’t been the single most important thing to have ever happened to him.</p><p>“Rey and I, we were both idiots,” Thalia replied. “We spent three years suffering and punishing ourselves, hurting each other over and over again until it literally almost killed me. Don’t let it get that far, Jace.”</p><p>Jason shook his head. “It’s not up to me. I wasn’t the one who ended it, and we’re not you and Reyna.”</p><p>“Then accept that it’s over and move on,” she told him, stern. No, not stern, angry. Thalia was mad at him, though he couldn’t even begin to imagine why. </p><p>He wasn’t in the mood to argue with her and Jason felt that was exactly where the conversation was headed. He got to his feet without saying another word and pushed past her out the door, not sure where he intended to go other than away from his sister. When he’d made it only halfway down the hall, Thalia spoke up again, her words stabbing him right through the heart like a blade through his back, opening old wounds and creating entirely new ones.</p><p>“Or you could fight,” Thalia said. “Decide what you want, Jason. Whatever decision you make, make it for yourself, for once in your life.”</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:01PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
you ever get so tired of eating something you would rather eat a shoe than that thing<br/>
thats how i feel about lettuce right now<br/>
all green leaves actually<br/>
dont touch me with that spinach or kale shit either</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:12PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
right now im picking everything out of this salad<br/>
tomatoes? fine<br/>
cucumbers? cool<br/>
carrots? love that shit<br/>
had a single piece of lettuce and wanted to die<br/>
im going to be hungry again in like 20 mins</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:17PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
i wanna go back to being about to puke pancakes<br/>
that was better than this</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:23PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
u ever have fruit in a salad?<br/>
it always freaked me out<br/>
salad is savory what are u puttin fruit in it for?<br/>
i dont want salty strawberries</p><p><strong>PERCY (12:25PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
but jason<br/>
jason<br/>
i was wrong</p><p>“Why don’t you just block him?” Nico asked, his entire face pinched in annoyance at the repetitive dinging of Jason’s phone.</p><p>To prevent Thalia from confronting him again, Jason had moved himself and his work out into the living room. Nico playing <em>Resident Evil</em> may have been distracting, but it was better than leaving himself open to more of Thalia’s brutal honesty and all the thoughts brought out by it. She wouldn’t get in his face around anyone else, except maybe Reyna.</p><p>“He said he’d just get another phone number,” Jason replied, barely even glancing up from the report he’d been reading. <em>And I don’t want to.</em></p><p>Nico snorted a laugh. “Sounds like something you would do.”</p><p>“No it doesn’t,” Jason objected, almost offended at the accusation.</p><p>“Oh, I’m sorry, you’re right,” Nico replied, voice dripping with sarcasm. “You just show up uninvited to people’s houses and force them to hang out with you.”</p><p>Jason finally forced himself to look up, though Nico’s eyes were trained to the TV. He sat cross legged in an armchair, not even having bothered changing out of the sweats and t-shirt he’d slept in. Nico had changed so much in the years since that first time Jason had showed up at his doorstep, and not just in the obvious and usual ways a person changed between the ages of fourteen and twenty.</p><p>The Nico Jason had first met would never have defied his parents to chase his dreams. That Nico couldn’t even tell his parents he didn’t want to hang out with Jason. He wouldn’t have had the courage to get on a stage and perform, let alone his <em>own</em> music. In those first couple years Jason had known Nico, he refused to let anyone hear him play at all, refused to let anyone see anything about him other than brooding and angry teenager. Nico remained a relatively private person, but he didn’t hide away anymore, and when he got on stage he let the world see it all – his talent, his passion, his heart, and his pain.</p><p>There in the living room, Nico just let them see Nico – still a little broody, not so angry, very sarcastic, a sore loser, uncaring about his appearance, and very caring toward the people he loved.</p><p>“That was different,” Jason said, shaking his head to dispel his own thoughts.</p><p>“How?” Nico demanded, still focused on his game.</p><p>An answer would not come to him. Jason’s brow furrowed as he stared ahead of him, trying to pinpoint the difference and failing. Percy used a different method, incessant texting versus barging in uninvited, but the reasoning and goal were the same – Jason needed a friend right then the same way Nico had needed one all those years ago.</p><p>“I’m not alone. You were,” Jason decided, though even he knew the excuse was a poor one.</p><p>“I wasn’t alone, either,” Nico replied without hesitation, no mercy in the face of Jason’s flimsy reasoning. “I had Reyna, for one, but I had Hazel, too. She was always there for me when I needed her, I was just too stubborn to tell her.”</p><p>Everyone seemed to be in the mood to push Jason’s buttons that day, so he dropped his gaze back to the report in his lap and pretended to go back to reading. “Sorry for assuming wrong.”</p><p>“That’s the point, asshole,” Nico said, and when Jason looked back up, Nico had paused his game to finally look Jason in the eye. “You didn’t assume wrong. I wasn’t alone, but I needed a push to realize it. You’re not alone, either, but right now, you need a push. Based on the fact that you’re actually finally talking to me, I’d say it’s working.”</p><p>“If I need a push, why did you tell me to block him?”</p><p>Nico continued to stare at Jason, expression flat. “Because it’s fucking annoying.”</p><p>Looking at his phone, gone silent after Percy had finished his lunch and returned to training, Jason couldn’t help smiling. “Was I this annoying?”</p><p>“Nah,” Nico replied, pressing play to return to his game. “You were worse, but my parent’s never would have let me get a restraining order.”</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:34PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
im tired and hungry and im about to mr void u again<br/>
promise me u will forget the words i say from here on out<br/>
silence is how u promise</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:36PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
ok ty for agreeing to my terms</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:40PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
my first break up was weird<br/>
idk what other word could possibly be used to describe it<br/>
like id heard about how much they suck<br/>
and it did suck<br/>
but it also just<br/>
didn’t</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:44PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
id been with this girl for over two years<br/>
and i loved her<br/>
thought i was like 17 and had love all figured out</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:48PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
then we go to this wedding together<br/>
some friends of ours from high school<br/>
a few years older like they werent 17 and getting married<br/>
but they were still pretty young</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:55PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
anyway were at this wedding<br/>
charlie and silena wrote their own vows<br/>
and their vows like<br/>
my 17 yo brain had no fuckin idea<br/>
not like they were great poets or anything<br/>
but it was just</p><p><strong>PERCY (06:59PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
they became poets that day<br/>
when they were up there looking at each other saying those words<br/>
u could feel what they were feeling<br/>
in ur bones and in ur soul<br/>
smth in me changed that day</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:02PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
so i drive my girlfriend home after<br/>
smth in me is different u kno?<br/>
but i still didnt kno what or even how to explain it</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:07PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
we get to her place<br/>
i walk her to the door like always<br/>
im still feeling weird like smth is off but i dont wanna let on<br/>
then she looks me straight in the eye there on her front porch<br/>
and she says</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:11PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
percy, im not in love with u</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:12PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
not gonna lie and say it didnt hurt<br/>
it hurt a whole fuckin lot<br/>
but when she said it i understood what in me had changed<br/>
bc i didn’t love her either<br/>
not like charlie and silena loved each other<br/>
not the kind of love that could turn my dumb ass into a poet</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:18PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
so we broke up and it sucked<br/>
it sucked bc i looked back at over two years together<br/>
and realized it hadnt been real<br/>
we had just been playing the parts everyone expected</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:22PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
but not once did i ever look back and think breaking up was a mistake<br/>
and as messed up as it sounds<br/>
i never missed being with her</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:26PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
why am i telling u this?<br/>
idk</p><p>In the wake of that story Jason sat on his bed, long having stopped pretending he was doing any work, and stared at the boxes of his things from Piper. In less than a week the scent of vanilla and cinnamon had already started to fade. Before long it would be gone entirely and he would be left with nothing but cardboard and crap, regrets and longing, not a single thing he wanted.</p><p>He thought about Thalia telling him to make a choice for himself, for once in his life. She really had been upset with him. Even as he sat there, he wasn’t quite sure where her anger came from, whether it was simply a result of his breakup and the concern she had surrounding it, or if it ran deeper. The more he thought about it, though, the more he knew she was right. He did need to make a choice.</p><p>So many times that week he’d lamented about never getting what he wanted, but that was his own damn fault. Jason never got what he wanted because he never stood up for it. Jason never got what he wanted because he never made a choice. For twenty-two years, just short of twenty-three, Jason had <em>let</em> other people make his choices for him. </p><p>In high school he’d wanted to play soccer. Jason had loved playing soccer, and he’d been good at it. For a brief time he’d even daydreamed about going pro, though whether he was that good he never really knew in hindsight. Soccer season had conflicted with football season, and Jason’s dad said real men played football. Even though he wasn’t nearly as good at it, and kind of hated it, Jason did as he was told. Jason chose football.</p><p>Without mentioning it to anyone, Jason had applied to more colleges than just NYU. And he’d gotten into all of them, including Cornell, the school he’d always secretly dreamed of attending. The Grace family went to NYU, though. It wasn’t Ivy League, no, but it was tradition. Tradition meant something in their family. Jason’s father had laughed in his face and told him Cornell would not be happening. Jason chose NYU.</p><p>There had never even been time for Jason to think about what he might major in, what he wanted to do with his life, what he was passionate about, when he finally enrolled in school. Dad wanted him to go into politics. Jason chose economics and political science to prepare for law school.</p><p>Freshman year, Jason had considered going out for the baseball team. While he’d never been as good at baseball as he thought he’d been at soccer, he did at least enjoy it. Being on a team felt good and he didn’t want to let that go after high school. When Jason’s dad had discovered he planned on trying out Jason had been called up to the penthouse and told team sports were for kids and the <em>lower</em> classes. As an adult there was no time for something so self-indulgent and juvenile. Jason chose not to try out.</p><p>Just a few months before, when Jason’s father had told him he would be taking over the family business, even though Jason didn’t want to, even though his education hadn’t prepared him for it, Jason had done as he was told. Jason let the choice be made for him. Again.</p><p>He’d wondered at one point along the way if love had changed him and had been unprepared to make that judgment. Knowing that required him knowing who he had been <em>before</em>. Jason had been too scared to admit he knew exactly who he used to be, too scared to admit he was slipping right back into old and comfortable habits, too scared to admit that all meant he’d been unchanged.</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:38PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
no<br/>
i do kno why i told u<br/>
and i bet u do too</p><p><strong>PERCY (07:40PM, FRI MAY 30)</strong><br/>
fuck this<br/>
get ur head out of ur ass grace</p><p>That’s exactly where Jason’s head had been, up his ass.</p><p>For two months Jason had been convincing himself Piper would leave him. He’d prepared himself for it, counted every day she stayed by his side as a blessing he probably didn’t deserve. It wasn’t that he didn’t think she could handle the pressure his family might put on her. Jason knew if anyone could handle the fucked up world of the Grace family, it was Piper McLean. No, he simply wouldn’t have blamed her for not wanting to deal with all of it when she had a choice, and when all she had to gain from that suffering was him.</p><p>So, when she’d looked him in the eye and done exactly what he’d expected all along, accepting her words at face value should have been easy. Except he recognized her lie from the moment it left her lips. He heard it in the way she struggled to form the words and he saw it in the way she refused to meet his eye, but he also felt it in the pit of his stomach, a gut instinct he could not explain but did not need to.</p><p>When Jason had walked out of Piper’s apartment that afternoon he’d known two things – he’d been an absolute, self-pitying, insecure, little jackass, and Piper had lied to him.</p><p>She lied to him.</p><p>Jason knew Piper loved him like he knew the sun would rise in the morning. Her love had started as a gentle breeze. It had been little more than a giggle of contentment after their first kiss, a reverent smile when he admitted to his own inexperience, an almost imperceptible gasp in response to his daring love confession, but from the beginning it had been as real to him as anything he could hold in his hand. All at once, she took him by storm – her touch and her passion, her understanding and her conviction, her vulnerability and her fortitude. Piper swept him up in her love so entirely Jason had been left with no room to doubt her, only himself.</p><p>Yet there he found himself, sitting in his bedroom at almost eight on a Friday night with nothing but doubt to keep him company. Jason could not rectify the truth of her love and the reality of her lie. They could not coexist, not within the limitations of his understanding. If she loved him, truly, and even if she had decided their relationship was not what she wanted, Piper would not have lied to him. Piper had lied to him all the same.</p><p><em>Decide what you want, Jason</em>, Thalia had told him. <em>Whatever decision you make, make it for yourself, for once in your life.</em></p><p>Jason wanted to fight. Given the choice, he would choose war. Jason remembered Percy and Piper joking about setting the world ablaze for the people they loved, but they were not the only ones who could. They were not the only ones who would. Even to make the smallest difference Jason would get out of bed right that very instant and burn it all to the ground – that tower, the city, his entire life. That was the decision Jason wanted to make. For himself. For the first time in his life.</p><p>Love had changed him. Love had not just made him <em>want</em>, because Jason had always wanted – it had given him the strength to <em>choose</em>.</p><p>He had no choice to make, though. Without the truth, without knowing exactly why and how they ended up with the chasm of her kitchen counter between them Thursday afternoon, he had no way to fight. All he had was her lie and the doubt it created.</p><p>His phone sat on the bed beside him, gone silent after that merciless and much needed wake up call. Maybe Jason couldn’t fight. Maybe that choice would have to be filed away with all the others he had not dared to make for himself over the years. There was still a choice at his fingertips, though, a smaller one, maybe insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but an opportunity to choose what he wanted all the same. He would text his friend because he wanted to, and because from now on he would get what he wanted. From now on Jason would choose for himself.</p><p>Before he could reach for his phone, Jason’s bedroom door opened in a violent crash. He jumped at the sound, eyes darting to the doorway, and then sat in stunned silence staring at the last person he would ever have expected to barge into his bedroom at just after eight on a Friday evening.</p><p>“<em>Annabeth?</em>”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Smoothies, Chocolate Chips, & Steak</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>IF you follow me on <a href="https://twitter.com/waddled">twitter</a> or <a href="https://couvers.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>, this update likely won't be new to you! i've written these short prompt snippets for fun and a little writing exercise over the last month, but just wanted to collect them all here. there will probably more over the course of the next month, but probably not as many. LOL.</p><p>for a little context, i made sure to denote with each section when the snippet is set, with chapter AND the in universe date it takes place on. i do have a calendar i keep to track this fic's timeline... it's ridiculous, but being able to share a lil of it with you here is very fun for me.</p><p>also, these were generally written quickly and are VERY lightly edited, which means they're not super polished, just as a warning. i did make a few slight edits before posting them here, so they might be a little different than what was originally posted on tumblr! not extensively, but a couple words and sentences might have been changed, and a few things added here and there.</p><p>sorry if you've read all of these and are now disappointed this update isn't actually anything new. 😭</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>January 12th<br/>
Pre-Chapter 1</p>
</div>Jason was early. <em>Too</em> early. Embarrassingly early. If he knocked on her door now, she would probably think he was crazy. And she'd be right. Jason had absolutely lost his mind.<p>Ten more minutes. If he waited ten minutes he would no longer be <em>too</em> early and simply be early. Politely early. Considering he'd already been standing outside her door for ten minutes, that would mean his crazy ass had been out there for a full twenty minutes before he announced his presence. Jason had to fight the instinct to pull out his phone and text Thalia to ask her which would be worse – his being too early or the waiting awkwardly outside Piper’s door for twenty minutes. He'd already had to ask his sister too many dumb questions, though. His pride could not survive another.</p><p>There ended up being no time for him to decide, though, because at that moment Piper's front door opened and Jason found himself standing face to face with her. His heart jumped into his throat as he took her in. Piper had braided her hair down either side of her face, wisps already falling loose. That evening she had dressed simply, in a pair of jeans and a royal purple, thick knit sweater. Jason's favorite color. He doubted it was a coincidence.</p><p>"Are you going to keep pacing outside my door, or are you coming in?"</p><p>"Saw that, did you?" he replied, trying to fight the blush creeping up his neck.</p><p>Piper nodded, her lips pressed into a tight line. "I heard something and decided to check the peephole. How long have you been out here?"</p><p>"Not long." A lie, and an obvious one at that, based on the way she laughed. "If you're not ready, I can wait."</p><p>"Do I not look ready?" she asked, and it <em>felt</em> like she was teasing, but he didn't know her well enough to be entirely certain.</p><p>"No," he quickly corrected. "No, you look…" And then his heart was stuck in his throat again, because Jason didn't know how to tell this woman he'd known for not even two weeks that she was the most beautiful person he’d ever met.</p><p>Offering him her hand, Piper finally smiled, shoulders shaking in a silent laugh. “Come in already, you weirdo.”</p><p>“Are you sure you should be letting a weirdo into your apartment?” he asked, slipping his hand into hers and allowing her to lead him inside. Just holding her hand had his heart racing, something he couldn’t remember happening even when he’d been a middle schooler. Piper McLean was definitely doing a number on him.</p><p>“Probably not, actually,” she said with playful severity. The door closed behind him and Jason stopped to slip off his shoes and remove his jacket, then Piper claimed his hand again, threading her fingers through his. “It might be a good idea for you to go.”</p><p>Even though, again, he was pretty sure she only meant to tease him, he might have actually doubted himself if she didn’t immediately tug him toward the living room once his shoes were off. “Too late, you already let me in.”</p><p>She hummed softly, the corners of her lips turned up into a surprisingly shy smile. “I guess I’ll have to take my chances, then.”</p><p>They settled together on the couch, Piper curled against his side, and he really hoped she couldn’t feel the way his heart pounded. Piper had already queued up their first movie for the night – ET, because she’d told him she’d never seen it and Jason found that personally offensive. Almost immediately she was talking, commenting on everything and anything that came to mind. He’d seen the movie enough that he didn’t mind the running commentary.</p><p>Actually, he found his attention on Piper more than the movie in general. Jason liked watching her talk. Her face was so expressive, brow, nose and lips quirking and scrunching in slightly different ways with every spoken thought or opinion. He could tell she wasn’t enjoying the film about halfway through, even though she hadn’t expressed a single complaint verbally, and there was something refreshing about her openness. It disarmed him, and it kind of scared him, but the type of disarming and scary that had Jason wanting to jump head first into her.</p><p>“Jason,” she said, when her very obvious boredom had reached a boiling point, “are you going to wait until the day after our date to kiss me again?”</p><p>If that was where her mind went when she got bored, Jason didn’t think he would be bothered if she found him absolutely drab. “No.”</p><p>Piper’s eyes narrowed, her body shifting toward him. “I’m not sure I bel–”</p><p>He didn’t let her finish the thought before he leaned in and put his lips to hers. Just like the first time, a quiet sound of contentment sounded in the back of her throat, which served to encourage him. Jason inched closer to her, his hand coming up to her neck as his other arm pulled her a little closer. Her lips tasted faintly of cherries and the more he got of them, the more he realized he would never get enough. It was more than just the taste or feel of her mouth, though – it was how she leaned into him, her hand resting on his chest, the brush of her nose against his, the near perfect way she fit against him.</p><p>“Sorry for doubting you,” Piper whispered when they finally parted. Her breaths came in short puffs, hot against his skin. He definitely hadn’t gotten enough.</p><p>Jason smiled, resting his forehead against hers. “I kind of deserved it.”</p><p>“You kind of did,” she agreed, the sound of her giggle the sweetest thing he’d ever heard.</p><p>In a rush of courage inspired by that sound and the warmth that had settled in his chest, Jason said, “Can I ask you something, Pipes?”</p><p>A frown formed on her lips as she sat back scanned his face. Jason still didn’t know exactly how to read her expressions, but he felt like he’d said something wrong. Piper took a deep breath and nodded before he could even form the apology on his lips, though. “Yeah. Anything.”</p><p>“I, uh,” he started, that bravery fading almost instantly in the wake of her confusing frown. Still, he powered through, deciding to finish what he’d started. “I don’t exactly know what the etiquette for this is, because it’s been a long time since I’ve even thought about it.”</p><p>“The etiquette,” Piper said softly, her hand dropping to his thigh. That was a dangerous position, but when he tensed, she noticed, drawing it back and quirking an eyebrow at him. “For what?”</p><p>“I know this is only our second date,” he started, trying to find the words to express himself from another angle. It was annoyingly difficult, and his face already felt warm from the embarrassment. Piper watched him closely, trying to discern his train of thought without rushing him, which he appreciated greatly. “It’s just that I– I really like you, and I want to keep doing this – seeing each other, I mean, going out with you, or staying in. I’m just wondering, because I’m not… I’m not seeing anyone else…”</p><p>Piper reached for his hand, once again threading their fingers together. The credits to their movie played in the background, but neither of them moved to turn it off. “Are you asking if this is exclusive?”</p><p>“Yeah,” he breathed, relieved that she understood, and that her smile had returned. “If you’re not ready for that, it’s fine, I don’t mind see–”</p><p>This time she cut him off, catching his lips in a way that was more smile than kiss, and he could hear her giggling into it. For once Jason didn’t mind her pulling away relatively quickly, if only because he still felt so nervous about her response. “I’m not seeing anyone else, either, and I really don’t want to.”</p><p>A tightness in his chest began to fade, and Jason wasn’t sure whether it had developed over the course of that conversation or if it had been there all his life. He breathed another sigh of relief, tilting his forehead against hers again and smiling. “Good.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>February 3rd<br/>
Chapter 23</p>
</div>“Is this okay?” Percy asked as they danced, one hand in Annabeth’s, the other resting on her hip, careful not to touch where the sides of her dress were cut out to expose skin, no matter how much he wanted to let his fingers close that tiny gap. “I’m not sure where I should…”<p>Their first date had not been anything like he expected so far, though he was pretty sure Annabeth hadn’t intended for it to be such a roller coaster, either. Surrounded by other party goers, a quiet and jazzy melody floating over the white noise of so many different conversations, he could almost forget the way the night had started. Watching Annabeth fall apart had shaken him, and the implications of her short explanation had filled him with rage, but Percy didn’t want to let those things ruin this if he could help it.</p><p>Facing her family, facing <em>Luke</em>, Percy had been much more confident in touching her. He knew he’d been a little over the top territorial, and that he didn’t really have a right to be, considering he’d only learned her name less than two weeks ago and this was their first date, but it had been instinctual in the moment. Even if his behavior ended up costing him a second date, Percy didn’t think he’d regret asserting to the asshole who had apparently hurt her that, at least for the evening, Annabeth was his.</p><p>Now, though, just the two of them, he found himself hesitating.</p><p>Annabeth smiled, a beautifully shy thing with gently pinked cheeks meant only for him, and it set his heart racing – maybe he hadn’t ruined his chances for a second date, after all. “It’s fine,” she assured him, giving his hand a squeeze.</p><p>“Good,” Percy replied, trying to get his heart rate under control as they swayed. That was painfully difficult as he watched her face, her smile growing, her breathtakingly gray eyes piercing him.</p><p>He wanted to kiss her again. Suddenly it was all he could think about – how soft her lips had been, the fervor with which they’d claimed his, the quiet sound of contentment she’d made when they finally parted. Percy knew how vulnerable she was at the moment, though. Returning the kiss she’d initiated had been one thing. Taking another for himself would be something else entirely.</p><p>“Actually,” Annabeth started a few seconds later, jarring him out of his dangerous train of thought, and she brought her hand down to his, fingers curling around it so she could guide him behind her, “touch me here.” The hitch of her breath as she placed his hand on the small of her back betrayed how excited the brush of his fingers on her bare skin made her, and that feeling was completely mutual.</p><p>By nature of his new hand placement, the space between their bodies, which had already been negligible, was cut in half. When Annabeth wound her arm back over his shoulder, her face came that much closer to his, and the urge to kiss her was renewed. He saw her eyes flicker to his lips, watched her tongue wet her own, and his better judgment went out the window.</p><p>Percy figured he’d earned himself a one way ticket to hell for it, but he didn’t give a flying fuck. Before he could doubt himself again, he leaned down and kissed her. This kiss was slower than the first, but they both remained just as demanding as they had been earlier, as if they’d been waiting for it their whole lives and needed to make up for lost time in the span of a handful of seconds. When they parted, a bit reluctantly, Percy leaned his forehead against hers and grinned. She smiled back at him, again wonderfully shy, but very clearly pleased.</p><p>It was the first of many kisses he’d give her that evening, Percy growing progressively less shameless every time his lips brushed hers, and the first of countless more that waited beyond.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>March 2nd<br/>
Chapter 54</p>
</div>"Do it," Percy said, a smile on his face that had Annabeth feeling all too giddy. She was beginning to think there wasn't a single thing she wouldn't do to make him smile, and that thought was absolutely dangerous.<p>"I'm not doing it," she replied, shaking her head and fighting back a returning smile so he would not doubt her conviction.</p><p>Percy was seated on one end if the couch and Annabeth had reclined all the way across it, with her feet in his lap. The two of them had been laid out together in various positions for hours, music playing in the background while they just <em>talked</em>. They'd talked about stupid things like what cartoons they liked best as kids and whether or not they believed in aliens. They had talked about things that actually mattered, too, like how much Percy had struggled in school and the many reasons Annabeth hated her birthday. She didn't think she would ever get tired of listening to him, nor did she think she would ever get tired of the way he looked at her while she spoke, either.</p><p>At the moment, they were on a stupid subject. A very stupid subject. And Annabeth was pretty sure Percy would never let it go.</p><p>"Please," he begged, his eyes growing as big as saucers.</p><p>"No, Percy, absolutely not," she told him, nudging his shoulder with her foot. "I'm not punching you."</p><p>"It won't hurt," he argued, still with those big eyes. She refused to be moved by them. "Leo does it all the time. I promised him I would wash his car for a year if it ever hurt, so he tries all the time."</p><p>There were so many parts of that statement she found ridiculous that Annabeth was, for a moment, stunned to silence. "No," she finally managed. "I'm not punching my boyfriend."</p><p>"Annabeth, please."</p><p>"<em>No</em>."</p><p>He held a finger up against the sole of her foot. "Punch me or I'll tickle you."</p><p>"My feet aren't ticklish," Annabeth said with a shrug. The way Percy's brow furrowed at that made her laugh, but he got no extra reaction out of her when he actually tried tickling her foot.</p><p>"Where are you ticklish, then?" he demanded, index finger still brushing the sole of her foot lightly in an attempt to break her.</p><p>She shrugged. "I'm not telling you."</p><p>"Fine," he relented, dropping his hand. "Punch me, though."</p><p>This was it, the way Annabeth would finally lose her mind, at the hands of the most beautiful and outright insane man she had ever known. "How many times are you going to make me say no?"</p><p>"Just do it once," he pleaded, back to the whining, shaking her legs in his lap. </p><p>"Why?" she asked, hating herself for the fact she could feel her resolve dwindling. God help Annabeth Chase, she was going to end up punching him.</p><p>A hint of a smile returned to his face as Percy seemed to sense her starting to give in to him. "Because you'll think I'm cool and sexy when you punch me and I don't even flinch."</p><p>"Yeah, that's not happening," Annabeth said, wrinkling her nose at him. "It's too late for me to ever think you're cool."</p><p>"But not too late for you to think I’m sexy," he noted, eyebrows raised.</p><p>Both of them knew all too well that the ship had sailed in that regard just about the minute she'd set eyes on him, but Annabeth pretended to remain aloof. "I guess it's still possible I could find you sexy, yes."</p><p>"So, punch me and find out," Percy said, something changing in his gaze. Annabeth didn't realize what was happening until it was too late – he lifted his shirt and flexed his abdomen, and her eyes focused on the exposed area far too quickly. Definitely sexy.</p><p>Taking a deep breath in through her nose and dragging her hands down her face, she succumbed to his begging and the temptation of his lifted shirt. "Fuck it."</p><p>"I mean, that's not what I'm asking you to do," he said as she sat up and scooted down the couch, "but we can certainly discuss it."</p><p>Annabeth refused to substantiate that suggestion with a reply, settling in beside Percy on the couch with her legs wrapped around his torso. Pretending like that position, the intimacy of being so wrapped around him, didn’t still affect her deeply was impossible, so she opted not to try. She let her face flush and her heart race and didn’t shy away. This was a feeling she had decided to embrace fully.</p><p>“Do I just do it, then?” she asked, staring shamelessly at the patch of his abdomen still exposed. Punching him was definitely not what she wanted to be doing at the moment. He’d admittedly been more on track with his other idea.</p><p>“Yep, just punch me,” he confirmed, his grin growing massive in anticipation.</p><p>There would be no turning back now that she’d agreed, so Annabeth simply nodded and took a steadying breath. Percy’s smile didn’t fade in those seconds she resolved herself to actually giving in to his request. Curling her fingers into a fist, Annabeth shook out her shoulders to loosen up and nodded to him once. Then she did it, punched him right in the gut, not holding back, because she knew he would complain otherwise. As promised, he didn’t even flinch when her fist made contact, but it did kind of hurt her hand.</p><p>“<em>Why</em>,” Annabeth demanded, instantly dissolving into a fit of giggles, and she smacked him lightly in the same spot she’d just punched him before collapsing back onto the couch again. “What purpose does being like this serve?”</p><p>It served the purpose of making him one of the best swimmers in the world and came as the result of years of hard work and self care. Annabeth knew that. Knowing as much did not make it any less outrageous that he was so absolutely ripped, and that she was free to touch (and apparently punch) him to her heart’s content.</p><p>“You like it,” Percy replied, following Annabeth’s motion to hover just close enough for her to kiss if she strained her neck even a little. There was nothing quite as terrible as when he did that, tempted her so plainly, because Annabeth did not have enough self control to resist for more than a few seconds.</p><p>“Maybe,” she conceded. She maybe even more than <em>liked</em> it, but that was a thought and conversation for another time. For the moment she settled for hooking her legs around his back, leaning up, and snagging that kiss.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>March 18th<br/>
Chapter 64</p>
</div>"Aren't you supposed to be doing this with your shirt off?"<p>Calypso had her elbows resting on the side of her truck and, when Leo glanced up at her from the work he'd been doing on the engine, he was met with a pair of massive, round, brown eyes with lashes fluttering innocently. He straightened up, wiping a little sweat from his brow with his forearm – his hands were already covered in grease, the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to the elbows. Not an hour had passed since he’d started working, and Calypso had been out there helping by handing him tools as he needed them. He had been surprised to discover she knew most of them by their proper names, very pleasantly surprised.</p><p>"It's like fifty degrees out," Leo replied, an eyebrow quirked up. "You want me to freeze or something?"</p><p>"I thought that was how the whole <em>fixing a girl's car</em> thing worked," she said waving a hand in the direction of the engine block. "It's just an excuse to take your shirt off and seduce her."</p><p>Three days had passed since Leo had brought Calypso home from the cabin and asked her to move with him to Massachusetts that summer. The day after their rash decisions he'd driven Frank and Hazel back to the city, then stopped for the parts he knew her truck needed and gone straight back to Montauk. Monday he'd helped her get the truck back to her family's place. Neither of them had spoken about the kiss (he was calling it that in his head even though kiss didn’t really feel like an adequate word for the making out they’d done against the side of his car) or his offer again.</p><p>“Fixing this truck is a serious issue, not a tool for seduction,” Leo told her, signaling to the engine with his wrench, and then to himself. “You’d just be disappointed if I took this off, anyway.”</p><p>“What does that mean?” Calypso asked, her lightly teasing tone fading into something more genuine, with an edge of annoyance he knew very well.</p><p>Leo flashed her grin before leaning back over the engine to pick up where he left off. “I’ve seen the guys you’ve dated, Calypso. Hell, I live with one. The body under this hood is not of the caliber you’re used to.”</p><p>She scoffed, all her humor disappearing. “Is this because you think I’m shallow or because you actually think that lowly of yourself?”</p><p>“I’m being realistic,” he answered. It wasn’t just Percy that he’d seen Calypso with over the years. There had been other boyfriends, or flings, or whatever they were called. All of them had been big and buff to one degree or another, most of them tall and attractive enough to be models.</p><p>Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Calypso straighten up, crossing her arms. “So, <em>realistically</em>, do you think I’m shallow?”</p><p>Taking a deep breath, Leo also straightened up again, leaning on the truck. “No, I don’t think you’re shallow.”</p><p>“Then what?” she demanded, head cocked to one side and jaw clenched. “What are we even doing here, Leo? Because I’m pretty sure I made it clear on Saturday how I feel about you, but then you came back, and you acted like nothing happened, and now you’re being all weird and insecure when I’m very obviously trying to flirt with you, like it wasn’t <em>me</em> who kissed <em>you</em>.”</p><p>“You’re trying to flirt with me?” he asked, unable to keep a smile from beginning to form on his lips.</p><p>Since that kiss Saturday afternoon, Leo had been terrified Calypso would change her mind or start to regret either agreeing to go to Massachusetts with him or, even worse, the kiss. When he had made the offer, Leo had harbored no expectations, but then she had kissed him, and it had been the single most amazing moment of his life, and the expectations had kind of started developing from there. He wouldn’t have been surprised, or even blamed her, though, if it had all happened in the middle of some moment of weakness brought on by the emotional upheaval of seeing her ex-boyfriend happy with a new girlfriend. Days later, with a clearer mind, it would make sense for her to realize she’d made a stupid call agreeing to move to another state with, and then kiss, a guy she had only just barely tolerated for years, and who she could do much better than.</p><p>Calypso took a slow, deep breath in her nose and then exhaled through her mouth. “Yes. I’ve been trying to flirt with you pretty much the entirety of the last two days.”</p><p>“You,” Leo said, pointing to her with his wrench, then back to himself, “were trying to flirt with me.”</p><p>“For someone so smart, you really are a dumbass,” she replied. The tension went out of Calypso all at once, not because her anger had faded, but because she no longer had the energy for it. “Whatever. Finish fixing the truck if you want. Call me again when you get a clue.”</p><p>Leo stared after Calypso for several seconds as she started to walk away, his mind trying to catch up with the implication of her <em>flirting with him</em>. She wouldn’t be flirting if she didn’t really like him, and if she really liked him, she must not be regretting the kiss. If she wasn’t regretting the kiss, she probably wanted to do it again.</p><p>“Wait, Calypso!” he called, setting his wrench on the engine block and starting toward the bed and breakfast’s backdoor after her. “I’m sorry, okay. I just– I don’t really–”</p><p>She stopped halfway up the walk and turned to face him, the anger in her expression morphed into hurt. “You don’t really <em>what</em>?”</p><p>“I don’t get it,” he confessed, even though the words felt thick and dangerous in his throat. Leo wasn’t sure he wanted to poke this particular beast of an issue, but he didn’t think they stood a chance if he didn’t. “Why now? Why me?”</p><p>“You are the most infuriating person I have ever met,” Calypso replied, the huff and her tone making it clear this was just the beginning of her answer, which Leo thought didn’t really answer anything. “I never understand a single thing you do or say. Like, it boggles my mind and drives me <em>crazy</em>, to the point I can never get you out of my head. Seriously, Leo, I think about you constantly. When you told me I probably wouldn’t see you this coming summer, it terrified me. Just the thought of it broke my heart.</p><p>“And you’re full of this stupid kind of bravado, that I have no doubt turns off just about every girl you talk to, but underneath it all you’re quite possibly the sweetest, most thoughtful and considerate person ever. Again, I don’t get it, because it’s like you don’t want people to know those good things about you? All you want them to see is the stupid, annoying act you put on. Why don’t you want people to know? It’s not like you’re good at hiding it. I figured it out like the first week I knew you.</p><p>“Then there’s your– your stupid–” Calypso paused to take a few seconds and wave her hands around her head, her hair and her ears and face. She was worked up, her face beginning to turn red, and Leo thought this was the most adorable he’d ever seen her. “Your hair is always matted. And you’ve got this smile – not the fake, weird, cocky one, but this really sweet and boyish one that seriously just lights up the whole world. There’s always grease under your fingernails, which should be so gross, but it’s not? It’s honestly a little hot. Then there’s your ears, and they just– Every time I look at them I want to–”</p><p>When she huffed out her nose in indignation, Leo smiled. “You want to what?”</p><p>“Nothing,” she said, shaking her head.</p><p>“No, keep going, Calypso. I wanna know,” Leo insisted.</p><p>“Why do you keep calling me that?” she asked, deflecting his question.</p><p>The deflection was effective, because Leo’s smile fell and he stared at her for a couple seconds in dumbfounded silence. “It’s your name.”</p><p>“Everyone calls me Cal,” Calypso replied. “You used to, too.”</p><p>Leo shrugged and swallowed hard. “I don’t want to be <em>everyone</em> anymore.”</p><p>“Definitely the most infuriating person I’ve ever met,” she sighed, just barely above a whisper.</p><p>“Does it bother you?” he asked, worried he’d been screwing up the whole last two days without even realizing.</p><p>Calypso bit her lip, eyes narrowed at him, and Leo waited on edge for her answer, ready for her to rip into him. She didn’t. “I love it.”</p><p>It didn’t seem quite fair that she called him the most infuriating person she’d ever met, because <em>Calypso</em> was the most infuriating person <em>Leo</em> had ever met. She made him crazy, too. He had basically never stopped thinking about her since the day they met, years ago, and he still had no idea what was going through her mind at any given moment. Not knowing scared him, because Leo liked to know things, he liked to understand the way things worked. He also found it absolutely exhilarating.</p><p>"I'm going to kiss you now," Leo declared. He said it partially to give her a chance to call him off, but mostly to psych himself up. If he didn’t say it aloud, he would very likely chicken out.</p><p>She met his eye, head held high, daring him to follow through. Leo did. He marched up to her, took her by the waist and pulled her to him. His grease stained fingers were probably going to make a mess of her t-shirt, but Leo didn’t care. Based on the way she cupped her hands around his neck and dragged him down the last couple inches to kiss her, he didn’t think she cared either.</p><p>Leo kissed her more intently than he had over the weekend when he’d been surprised and a little scared, lips moving, rough and demanding. His confidence had grown exponentially since then, and his insecurity about Calypso changing her mind continued to fade by the second. This was real. He’d loved her for years, from a distance, hopeless, but Leo was beginning to think that she’d loved him a little all that time, too. She certainly kissed him like that was the case – as if she’d been waiting for the chance for years and still kind of feared she might not get it again.</p><p>When she pulled away, Leo tried to follow her with his lips and she laughed. Her hand reached for his as she slipped out of his hold, and then Calypso turned to lead him further up the walk, toward the door.</p><p>“Where are we going?” he asked, glancing back at the unfinished truck. It needed another few hours of work, at the very least, and the limited early spring light would be fading before long.</p><p>“To my room,” she answered, and suddenly Leo didn’t give a flying fuck about the truck. “It’s warmer up there. You won’t have to worry about freezing.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>April 27th<br/>
Chapter 76</p>
</div>It was rare for Jason not to be the first one up, especially on a Saturday, so he was surprised when he blinked his eyes open and found Piper’s space in bed beside him empty. For a few seconds he sat there, clearing the grogginess from his head and trying to remember if she had something to do that morning. Nothing came to mind, so he hoped she would be waiting for him in the kitchen or living room.<p>When he threw off the covers, Jason was startled by the newly inked tattoo on his own forearm. He’d almost forgotten, and he couldn’t help staring at the eagle silhouette in awe, tracing the raised and slightly reddened skin with his index finger. His chest swelled with pride. After all the years Jason had debated taking that leap, he’d finally done it. That tattoo was something entirely for himself, and now it was etched into his arm for the rest of his life. No one could take it from him.</p><p>After pulling on a pair of sweats and brushing his teeth, Jason padded out of his bedroom in search of his girlfriend. His hopes Piper would still be home were not dashed. He found her in the kitchen, standing at the counter in front of the blender with several bags of frozen fruit and Jason’s container of protein powder (which she’d made a habit of stealing) in disarray around her. He stopped at the edge of the kitchen and leaned against the island counter, not alerting her to his presence. She shuffled around her bags of various fruit in the adorable, never satisfied way she did most mornings, trying to balance her smoothie to exactly the perfect flavor combination for her mood. As she worked, she sang quietly to herself, head bobbing with the melody, making her dark hair bounce in its ponytail. </p><p>That wasn’t the best part of watching her, though. </p><p>Piper wore nothing but Jason’s clothes. Fabric threatened to swallow her whole. One of his t-shirts hung loosely on her tiny frame, the hem falling lower than some actual skirts he’d seen her in. The pair of his sweat pants she also wore had been rolled up several times, probably just to keep from tripping her. Swimming in so much loose clothing, she looked especially small, and the urge to go wrap his arms around her warred violently with his desire to keep watching her from that distance.</p><p>He opted to keep watching in silence, because the woman he loved was the most beautiful sight he’d ever beheld, even from behind, and especially when wading around in a sea of fabric.</p><p>Not a minute later, Piper froze in place, her singing halted, and she looked around her bags for a second. “Shit,” she whispered to herself, and Jason pressed his lips together to smother a smile. Piper turned toward the fridge and it was then she noticed him watching her, stopping in her tracks for a second time, laughing. “How long have you been there?”</p><p>“A minute or two,” he replied with a shrug, the smile he’d been trying to smother finally breaking out in response to the one that bloomed on her face.</p><p>“I was starting to worry about you,” Piper said, resuming her trip to the fridge and popping the freezer door open. She shoved her head inside to seek out whatever was missing from her collection on the counter and continued, “It’s almost noon, you know. I thought you might have died in your sleep.”</p><p>That didn’t seem entirely unlikely, considering he kind of felt like he was in heaven. “You tired me out yesterday. I needed more sleep than usual.”</p><p>“You’re right, I did do that,” she agreed when she straightened up, yet another bag of frozen fruit in her hand, and she looked very pleased with herself over the fact. Her pride made him happy, because their impromptu date had been one of the best days of his life, and not just for the tattoo. Back at the counter, Piper pointed to the blender. “Do you want one of these, by the way?”</p><p>Jason shook his head. She tended to make smoothies way too sweet for his liking. </p><p>“Where are your clothes?” he asked when she turned back to her task, his smile growing. Nearly half his closet and several of his drawers were filled with her things, yet she’d raided his instead.</p><p>“Nothing of mine looked comfortable,” she answered, flashing him a pitiful little pout over her shoulder.</p><p>That was all he could take. Jason pushed off his counter and closed the short distance between where he’d been standing and she worked at the blender. When his arms slipped around her shoulders and he rested his chin on the top of her head, Piper let out a tiny giggle, the sound filling him with contentment. “Well, you have to pay a fee for the clothing rental.”</p><p>“Are you trying to extort kisses from me, Mr. Grace?” Piper asked, her smoothie construction undisturbed by him wrapping her up.</p><p>“Never.”</p><p>Piper hummed skeptically. “Then what’s your fee?”</p><p>“A song,” Jason told her, dropping his head to brush his lips against the side of her head, and then her neck. “Will you sing something for me?”</p><p>The way she hesitated, her hands hovering over the blender for a few heartbeats, surprised him. He almost walked the request back, but she leaned her head against his chest and nodded. “I suppose one song isn’t too high a price for this comfort.”</p><p>He settled in to listen to her sing, there in the kitchen, his face tucked against her neck. It wasn’t a song Jason recognized, but Piper’s voice was a warm breeze settling over him, soft and melodic. They swayed gently, together, her smoothie momentarily forgotten. She reached the final word too soon for his liking, but then he wouldn’t have minded standing there listening to her all day.</p><p>“Happy?” she asked, tilting her head enough to look up at him, and then she planted a kiss on his jaw.</p><p>“The happiest,” he confirmed, bending awkwardly to catch her lips with his.</p><p>When she finally pulled away, her eyes shone in the kitchen light, warm and oozing adoration he never truly felt like he deserved. “Me too.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>May 9th<br/>
Chapter 78</p>
</div>“Percy,” Annabeth called, stepping into her bedroom and assuming he would be there. The sound of his name was muffled because she had a toothpick buried in her mouth, digging around for a popcorn kernel she could <em>feel</em> but not seem to actually finger. Eating in the midst of her late night studying had been a terrible idea.<p>As suspected, Percy had already climbed into bed, his tongue peeking out the corner of his mouth as he focused on his phone. In the week leading up to finals he’d been avoiding studying in his free time by playing some game that had just come out. From Annabeth’s understanding, Hazel and Leo had also been indulging in this poorly timed distraction, all three of them encouraging each other to procrastinate in an endless cycle. That night, instead of looking up or responding, Percy just grunted in response to her call.</p><p>Annabeth shook his blanket covered leg in an attempt to get his attention. It failed. “I need your help.”</p><p>“Gimme a minute,” he replied, still not so much as glancing away from his game.</p><p>“I’m in <em>pain</em>, Percy,” she whined, shaking his leg again, completely and utterly shameless. </p><p>That was enough to get him to put his phone down. Percy’s brow furrowed and his lips turned out into a pout. Annabeth only felt a tiny bit bad for exaggerating the situation in response to his adorable and genuine concern. “What’s wrong?” he asked.</p><p>She pointed at her mouth with her toothpick, having given up on digging. “I have a popcorn kernel stuck in my teeth.”</p><p>He blinked at her in confusion for several seconds. “What do you expect me to do about it?”</p><p>“Help me get it out,” Annabeth replied flatly. That much she assumed had been obvious. She and Piper had been doing this kind of thing for each other for years, and she would have gone straight to the expert were her best friend not spending the night at Jason’s.</p><p>“<em>How</em>?” Percy pressed, his furrowed brow now smoothed out and raised high.</p><p>“I’ll shine my phone’s flashlight into my mouth and you dig the thing out,” she told him, signaling to her phone and the toothpick she’d been using for close to half an hour already in her own futile attempt to get her tooth cleared. “Feeling for it isn’t working and I tried looking for it in the mirror, but I can’t see anything. You’ll be able to see it better than I can.”</p><p>For several more seconds Percy just stared at her, and Annabeth started to think he’d refuse to help her, but then he sighed and set his phone aside. “Open your mouth, you adorable weirdo.”</p><p>“Thank you. It’s on the left, top teeth, toward the back,” she said, scooting a little closer, turning on the flashlight feature on her phone, and then opening her mouth wide.</p><p>Percy opted to skip the toothpick initially, instead taking a deep breath and sticking his finger straight in her mouth. His other hand cradled the back of her head gently, tilting her face to the optimal angle for him. He probed each of the teeth on the upper left side of her mouth, trying to see inside around his own hand. Piper’s hands were much smaller, fingers thin and delicate. Annabeth supposed it was more of a challenge for him to see anything than she had expected, but she helped by grunting when she felt his finger brush against the offending kernel.</p><p>“Is that it?” he asked, his brow furrowing again.</p><p>“Uh-huh,” she replied, more or less another grunt, just with a little inflection this time.</p><p>His grimace continued to deepen as he tried to nudge the kernel free while ducking his head to see around his own hand, until his lips were in such a tight, thin line, his mouth just about disappeared entirely.</p><p>“What’s wrong?” Annabeth asked, but his hand in her mouth resulted in the words sounding more like, <em>huts hong</em>.</p><p>He shook his head, but his expression didn’t relax at all. Annabeth gave him a gentle poke in the stomach to prod him into answering and his eyes flickered across her face for a second while he contemplated what to say. “I… am uncomfortably aroused.”</p><p>Two things happened at once – Percy managed to dislodge the kernel and Annabeth promptly bit down on his finger. When he yanked his hand away and stared at her, a mix of indignation and amusement, Annabeth poked him in the stomach again. “I was in <em>pain</em> and you were <em>aroused</em>?”</p><p>“Uncomfortably,” he repeated, as if that made it better.</p><p>“What about that was even <em>remotely</em> arousing?” she asked with a scoff.</p><p>Shrugging, Percy settled himself back against the headboard. “It’s just your mouth is all… And your tongue kept brushing my finger, so… you know.”</p><p>Annabeth opted to pinch him lightly through his shirt this time, something she’d learned tickled him more than hurt, her face suddenly feeling very heated. “See if I ever ask you to do that for me again.”</p><p>“Good,” he said, his expression melting into pure amusement as she got to her feet to head back to the bathroom and brush her teeth. “That’s not something I ever wanted to do, anyway!”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>June 10th<br/>
Chapter 88</p>
</div>Percy hadn't <em>meant</em> to mention to Jason very casually over text that he'd just gotten home from dropping Annabeth, Piper and Will off at the airport. He was texting too many people at once – his mom, Hazel, Leo, Annabeth – when Jason's message had come in. Too late to backpedal and not wanting to outright lie to Jason, Percy had explained the situation with Piper's family as delicately as possible.<p>Not an hour later Jason was pounding on the apartment door to be let in. When Percy opened it, he found Jason wild eyed, pale, a little sweaty, and struggling to catch his breath on the other side.</p><p>"Did you <em>run</em> here?" Percy asked, stepping aside to allow Jason in.</p><p>Jason shook his head, heading straight for the couch to collapse onto it. He carried a tie in hand, the top three buttons of his collar undone. "Traffic was backed up bad, so I had my driver let me out a few blocks away."</p><p>"And ran from there," Percy concluded, letting out a heavy sigh.</p><p>"I think I need to go to Malibu," Jason replied, his breathing slowly beginning to even out, but the other signs of stress not fading.</p><p>"That might be the worst idea you've ever had," Percy said as he took a seat in one of the living room's arm chairs, "and you bought that tie."</p><p>Lifting the tie in question – blue, with a flower like pattern that reminded Percy of those spirograph things kids at school always had but he could never figure out how to use – Jason frowned. "I like this tie."</p><p>"Exactly," Percy agreed. “It’s stupid.”</p><p>"Distracting me isn't going to work," Jason said a second later, but Percy thought a couple more comments like that and it just might. Percy didn't have time for distractions, though, because Jason pulled out his phone. "Do you think it's too late to catch a flight?"</p><p>"They caught the last one out tonight and that was like two hours ago, so yeah," Percy told him, mind working to figure out how he could talk Jason out of this monumentally bad idea.</p><p>Despite Percy telling him there were no more flights out that night, Jason's fingers were still flying across his phone screen. "I think the family jet is at LaGuardia right now. They could probably have it ready in an hour or two."</p><p>"You are the most infuriating person I have ever known," Percy said flatly, both because Jason was considering this at all and because he could so casually say things like, <em>the family jet is at LaGuardia</em>. "Okay, think about it this way – it's going to take you two hours to get the plane ready, then like six hours of flight time to LA. That's eight hours total, plus however long it takes you to get to the hospital from LAX."</p><p>"Yeah, which means I need to leave <em>now</em>, so I can get there in time if she needs me," Jason insisted. </p><p>"Or," Percy pushed, "in eight hours you'll get there and it'll be weird because everyone is fine and now you've made the birth of her sister really awkward for her."</p><p>The possibility of making things worse got through to Jason, who stopped and slouched back into the couch, staring blankly ahead. Percy watched as Jason seemed to register where he was in real time, taking in his surroundings, the panic in his expression transforming into something more like longing. “I just feel like I should be with her right now.”</p><p>Percy understood Jason's desperation, he really did. If it were Annabeth going through something like this, Percy would have moved heaven and earth to get to her, probably even if they had (God forbid, he hated even thinking the words) broken up. That didn't mean it wouldn't be a terrible idea if he were the one doing it. Piper already had the floodgates thrown open on her emotions that night, on top of the general instability she'd been suffering since graduation. Adding Jason to the equation would just complicate things for her that much further. Maybe it would be a good complication, but it might also be a terrible one, and that didn't feel like a risk they should be taking.</p><p>“Believe me, I begged them to let me go, too. I get it,” Percy said, trying to pour his understanding into the words. They both knew he could only marginally understand what Jason was going through, but he hoped the sentiment still held. “Let’s wait until we hear from them. If something goes wrong, we’ll head out together – either on your stupid jet or the first flight in the morning.”</p><p>Staring down at his phone, Jason considered what Percy had suggested. It looked like he was trying to come up with an argument, but nothing came to him. After a minute or so, his shoulders slumped and he set his phone on the couch beside him. Crisis averted.</p><p>“Is it okay if I crash here until then?” Jason asked, the yearning lilt to his voice matching the longing in his eyes.</p><p>That longing was something Percy understood, too. Annabeth and Piper’s apartment had become kind of a second (maybe third, would be more accurate) home over the last few months. There was a reason Percy had gone there, rather than back to the brownstone, after dropping the girls and Will off at the airport. Being there calmed him. That apartment was a respite from the world, every nook and cranny filled with the love Annabeth and Piper had for each other, contagious and healing. It must have been the same for Jason.</p><p>“Sure,” Percy agreed, figuring neither of the girls would mind him making that executive decision in their absence. “You had dinner yet? I’m hungry.”</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>June 13th<br/>
Chapter 93</p>
</div>It had been Percy's idea. He should have known it was a bad one, though he wasn't quite sure he could completely call it <em>bad</em>.  His bad idea had resulted in uninterrupted Annabeth time, which alone should have made it a <em>good</em> idea.<p>Uninterrupted Annabeth time had become increasingly difficult to come by since graduation, between Percy's intensive training schedule and Annabeth focusing on getting Piper through the breakup. Sometimes, lately, it felt like they were living worlds apart. Percy didn't begrudge Annabeth the fact they had less time for each other, especially since it was mostly because of him and she'd already taken the entire summer off just for sake of being around to support him, and he knew they'd get through it once his competition season ended, but he really did miss her. </p><p>Relationships were a two way street, though, and Percy wasn't about to let a pesky thing like always being sore and exhausted get in the way of his making an effort, because Annabeth had made a massive effort the last few weeks – basically living at his beck and call, even while also balancing Piper’s needs; waking up to see him off every morning, even on the mornings she was exhausted from having her sleep interrupted by Piper’s nightmares; doing chores for both of them while he trained so he didn't have to worry about anything when he got home at night, even when Percy had failed to notice or show his appreciation for it at first.</p><p>On his way home the Friday before he and Annabeth would be leaving for Omaha, Percy had the perfect opportunity to make that effort, because Piper intended to stay at work late making up for what she’d missed after her emergency trip to Malibu. Percy also knew Annabeth was still a little shaken from Luke’s surprise visit the night before, no matter how hard she tried to put up a strong front. Hell, <em>Percy</em> was still shaken over that visit. They both needed this time alone together. </p><p>Confident in his plan, Percy stopped at the store to pick up a few things he knew they didn't have at the apartment, but would need. Getting Annabeth and Piper’s pantry in working order had been a massive undertaking over the last few months, a constant work in progress that had him at the store more often than should ever be necessary. At least it didn’t take long to pick up the few items on his mental list, and soon he stepped through the front door to discover Annabeth sprawled out on the couch, looking like an absolute vision in his NYU Swimming hoodie and a pair of shorts.</p><p>Before Annabeth could even get the question out, Percy held up his bag from the store and said, “Let’s bake cookies.”</p><p>“I don’t feel like burning the apartment down tonight,” Annabeth replied, staring at his bag in much the same way someone would look at an active bomb timer. She wasn’t too far off the mark, honestly.</p><p>“I will make sure you don’t burn anything down,” he assured her, kicking off his shoes and dropping his duffle bag by the door. Piper was probably going to yell at him for it when she got home, but that was a problem for later. Hopefully by then they would have cookies to placate her.</p><p>When Annabeth continued to stare at him and the bag with plain disdain, he lifted it again, shook it, and curled his bottom lip into an exaggerated pout. “Please?”</p><p>“That’s never worked when Piper’s tried it on me and it’s not going to work when you do it, either,” she said, but it was a lie. He’d <em>seen</em> Piper’s pitiful expressions work on her before, and he could see her resolve wavering right there on the couch, too. Annabeth would kill him for saying it, but she was totally a pushover. A second later she groaned and set her phone on the coffee table. “<em>Fine</em>.”</p><p>Her mood improved quickly once they were in the kitchen. There were countless excuses to touch her, which Percy had been counting on, and Annabeth didn’t mind him wrapping his arms around her from behind and directing her hands as she measured ingredients based on the recipe from his mom on his phone. About halfway through preparing the dough she got overheated and peeled off her (his) sweater, and Percy had the added bonus of enjoying the view of her in nothing more than a dark blue camisole instead. He seriously loved his girlfriend in blue, and it matched perfectly with the shade their hands turned when they added a few drops of food coloring to the dough at the end of the prep process.</p><p>Once the first batch had been put in the oven, Annabeth and her blue hands started munching on leftover chocolate chips, tossing the occasional chip in Percy’s direction to catch in his mouth. Most of them landed on the floor, so he decided to give up on the game. Instead he crossed to where she leaned against the counter. Percy used <em>his</em> blue hands to lift her onto the counter and they wasted the last few minutes of bake time enjoying the hint of chocolate on each other’s lips instead.</p><p>“No, forget about them,” Annabeth whined when he pulled away at the sound of their timer going off.</p><p>“That’s how you burn the apartment down, Beth,” he replied with a throaty chuckle, though he wasn’t too happy about the interruption, either. She stuck her tongue out at him.</p><p>Percy placed the first batch of cookies on the cooling rack and slipped a second batch into the oven, not at all surprised that Annabeth remained seated on the counter behind him, just watching. Her arms were around him instantly when he returned to her, and this time they spent the whole eight minutes of bake time on hungry lips, teasing tongues, and wandering blue hands. For the first time in his almost twenty-three years of life, Percy felt like cookies baked too fast. He definitely wasn’t ready to pull away from her again when the timer went off a second time.</p><p>“Can we try them yet?” she asked, once he’d set the second batch to cool, still watching from the counter.</p><p>“An hour ago you didn’t even want to do this,” Percy reminded her, testing one of the cookies from the first batch with his finger to make sure it had cooled enough. In his eyes, the cookies looked just about perfect. Sally Jackson would be proud, and he had half a mind to take a picture and send it to her. They had talked at length about the sorry state of Annabeth’s kitchen experience.</p><p>Annabeth nodded, not even bothering to deny the truth, and kicked her heels against the cabinet beneath her. “But I did do it, so now I deserve to reap the rewards of my hard work.”</p><p>“<em>Your</em> hard work? I did most of the work here,” he objected, though he picked up two cookies and came to stand between her dangling legs. This time there would be no timer to call him away, and he definitely looked forward to enjoying the taste of their cookies on her mouth.</p><p>“My hands are blue,” she told him, snapping one of the cookies out of his hand. “I earned this.”</p><p>“Don’t worry, I’m an expert at washing food coloring off skin,” Percy replied, smiling when she narrowed her eyes at him skeptically. Neither of them bothered to say another word before biting into their cookies.</p><p>He really wished he had not bitten into that cookie. Overpowering just about every other flavor was salt. Just <em>salt</em>. Like the whole cookie was salt and nothing else, not even chocolate chips. Both of them choked on their bites, faces scrunching up in twin expressions of disgust. Percy had time to run to the trash to spit it out, but Annabeth had to spit the thing straight into her hand. As she slipped off the counter to dump her handful of half chewed cookie in the trash, Percy went to the fridge for a bottle of water and guzzled half of it down.</p><p>Annabeth immediately reached for the bottle as soon as he’d finished taking his first drink, following his example, and it was then Percy burst into laughter. She shoved his shoulder gently as she swished a little water around in her mouth and he only laughed harder. </p><p>“Stop laughing!” Annabeth cried, face still contorted from the mouthful of salt they’d just endured.</p><p>“What did you <em>do</em>?” he asked, getting another shove when he continued to laugh.</p><p>“<em>Me</em>?” she replied, pointing to herself and shaking her head. “This is <em>your</em> fault.”</p><p>“You were the one who measured everything out.”</p><p>“You were supposed to be watching me so this wouldn’t happen – and <em>stop laughing</em>.”</p><p>Percy couldn’t have stopped laughing if he wanted to, and he kind of didn’t even want to. “I just don’t understand how you got so much salt in them.”</p><p>Her eye twitched, the adorable and sexy little twitch that had entranced him the first time they’d spoken months before and had only become more endearing with time. Annabeth tossed the emptied plastic bottle at him and turned on her heel to storm away. “This is why I didn’t even want to make the stupid cookies in the first place!”</p><p>“Beth, wait,” Percy called after her, easily catching up to her two step head start. He slipped his arms around her waist from behind and held tight, her halfhearted struggle to escape no use and only making him laugh more. “I’ll bake another batch for you. You can just sit and watch from the counter.”</p><p>“It’s too late,” she grumbled. “You ruined cookies.”</p><p>“I’ll make dinner, too,” he continued, leaning down to press his lips against her neck. The first time he’d made her eye twitch like that, he’d had to walk away. Now when he did it – and he did it pretty often – he got to enjoy the process of appeasing her, and the exceptionally good mood that always followed.</p><p>Annabeth considered his offer carefully, tilting her head to the side to allow him better access to her neck in the meantime, which he took full advantage of. “On one condition,” she decided.</p><p>“What’s that?” Percy asked against her skin, a smile pulling at his lips.</p><p>“You have to wear your apron,” Annabeth said firmly.</p><p>His smile grew a little wider. “That’s not much of a condition.”</p><p>“<em>Only</em> your apron,” she amended, her voice smug and taunting, a challenge to test his resolve. It seemed they’d transitioned from <em>eye twitching mad</em> to <em>exceptionally good mood</em> unusually fast that evening.</p><p>God, did he love her.</p><p><br/>
</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
</p>
<p></p><div class="center">
  <p>June 23rd<br/>
Chapter 102</p>
</div>A flurry of activity and noise across the restaurant stole Percy’s attention from the massive steak he’d been attempting to finish at record breaking speeds. His head wasn’t the only one to turn, either – just about every eye in the dining room now focused on the central table responsible for the ruckus, including Annabeth, who had turned around in her chair entirely in order to see what was happening. They watched the couple seated at that table and a waitress rush to clean up shattered plates and spilled food on the floor, all three of them muttering apologies for whatever series of events had led to the accident.<p>Percy felt a little bad staring, so he was about to politely return to his meal, when the man threw down his cloth napkin in a huff and nearly shouted, “I’m trying to propose to you, woman!” The whole dining room fell eerily silent. Consideration for the couple’s privacy was thrown out the window after that.</p><p>“You’re <em>what</em>?” the woman replied, her hands freezing in midair, holding a broken plate. Their waitress also froze, wide eyed and blinking, as if contemplating the best escape route from the quickly developing, awkward situation.</p><p>“I’m trying to <em>propose</em>,” the man repeated, his head falling back in defeat.</p><p>The tension in the room became so thick it could have been cut with Percy’s steak knife as everyone waited for his companion to reply. She stared at him, still holding onto that plate, her mouth hung open. “You’re <em>proposing</em>?”</p><p>Reaching over the mess of plates and food between them, the man took the woman’s hands, her chunks of plate clattering to the ground again. “I kept trying to make this moment spectacular and perfect, but no matter what I do, something goes wrong. It doesn’t matter, though. All I want is to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”</p><p>“Yes, of course I will,” the woman breathed, her voice carrying through the room only because of how silent it had become. As the couple threw their arms around each other, the restaurant’s silence came to an end, all the other diners erupting into applause and cheers.</p><p>When Annabeth turned back around to return to her meal, there was a smile on her lips, and Percy’s attention was then entirely stolen. The couple across the room could light the whole place on fire and he still wouldn’t be able to look away from the woman he loved. </p><p>“God, that would be so embarrassing,” she said, contrary to that smile she wore, and speared some lettuce with her fork.</p><p>“It’s going to be such a great story for them,” Percy objected.</p><p>“Only because it turned out well,” Annabeth replied, nose scrunched and head shaking. “Public proposals are so… I don’t know. It puts the person being proposed to in such an awkward position. What would have happened if she’d said no, with literally everyone around staring at them?”</p><p>That was a point Percy struggled to counter, and he started back in on his steak while considering it. “You’d think they would have talked about it beforehand, though. It’s not an awkward position when both people already know what the answer is going to be, it’s just about the romance and experience of the surprise.”</p><p>“It sounded like she was shocked he was proposing,” Annabeth said, motioning back toward the other couple with her chin. “I doubt they’d had a serious conversation about getting married before tonight, at least not about getting married any time soon. There was a real chance she wouldn’t want to say yes, but her saying no in that situation would be humiliating for both of them.”</p><p>“I didn’t realize you had such strong opinions about proposals,” he replied, a smile tugging at his lips. </p><p>Saying the topic didn’t make Percy’s heart rate rise a hint, or that he hadn’t thought a few times about what proposing to her himself might look like, would be a lie. Percy hadn’t expected the subject to come up tonight, at one of the nicer establishments in Omaha, while they enjoyed an exceptionally rare night out together because he didn’t have to worry about swimming an event the next day. They were on the subject now, though, so he figured he might as well test the waters.</p><p>Annabeth shrugged, her expression giving nothing in particular away. “I guess I didn’t realize, either.”</p><p>“What kind of proposal do you dream about, then?” Percy asked, trying to keep his tone light and teasing so he didn’t scare her off with how important the topic actually was to him.</p><p>“Nothing specific,” she said softly, not meeting his eye. Percy was pretty sure no salad could possibly be so interesting as to deserve such undivided attention. Annabeth was definitely lying.</p><p>Under the table, Percy reached out and nudged her leg with his foot. “Tell me.”</p><p>“Really, it’s nothing,” Annabeth insisted, but she still wouldn’t look up at him. He nudged her leg again and she sighed, setting her fork on the table beside her plate and finally focusing on Percy again. “I just don’t like when people make a fuss over me, so I wouldn’t want anything… big, or showy, and definitely not public. I’d want it to be just us, maybe a little unexpectedly, but unexpected in an understated way – like I don’t expect it because the <em>moment</em> is unsuspecting, sweet and simple, washing the dishes after dinner, or in the car after driving home from your parents’ place, something like that.”</p><p>Part of him wanted to zero in on the words <em>us, we’ve</em> and <em>your</em>, but Percy resisted the urge to draw attention to them at her expense. This confession of hers was too precious to tease her about. Annabeth didn’t just think about proposals in an abstract sense, she thought about <em>him</em> proposing to her specifically. They were on the same page. Percy didn’t really need anything else at the moment.</p><p>“That does sound better than a big, public fuss, you’re right,” Percy agreed, the images now flashing through his mind making his already elevated heart rate continue to climb. From now on his occasional daydreams about that moment were going to be much more detailed, and much more enjoyable, knowing they were shared.</p><p>She picked her fork back up, once again paying far too much attention to her salad. “You wouldn’t be disappointed by something so mundane?”</p><p>There it was, a direct and unquestionable reference to them, to him. Percy couldn’t help smiling, taking a few seconds to appreciate the woman sitting across from him – her usually unruly curls pinned back carefully, the navy blue of the dress she’d chosen to wear reflected in her eyes, and the gentle flush on her cheeks inspired by their topic of conversation. They didn’t get to go out on dates often, mostly because his training and school schedules hadn’t left any time for it. He’d always worried she felt like she was missing out on something because of that, but he realized, looking at her in that restaurant, after listening to her description of an ideal proposal, Annabeth probably loved their lazy dating policy even more than he did (which was a lot).</p><p>“No,” he told her, completely honest and full of confidence. “When I ask you that question, disappointment won’t be a possibility.”</p><p>Eyes finally flickering back up, Annabeth pressed her lips into a thin line and studied him. The unsteadiness of her breathing made him think her heart might have been pounding just as quickly as his own. “Even if I say no?”</p><p>“You won’t say no,” he assured her, his smile growing in response to the indignant laugh she let out at his cockiness. </p><p>Percy decided to leave the subject there for the time being, to let Annabeth roll her eyes at what had sounded more playful than he meant it. His confidence wasn’t a joke, though. She <em>wouldn’t</em> say no, because Percy knew now that it was important to her they have an explicit discussion about it beforehand, and he wouldn’t ask her until he knew she was ready, no matter how long he had to wait. He had a feeling he wouldn’t be waiting long, anyway.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>